Living With Aunt Kate
by FloridasBluestAngel
Summary: This story is about eight year old, Emily Marie Beckett Roswell, who loses her mother to a drug overdose. She finds her Aunt Kate and has to live with her because there is no other family members except Kate's father who will help from time to time. This will follow Emily's adventures and all the trouble she causes and gets into, while driving Detective Beckett crazy.
1. Chapter 1

AN: Hey, There! This story popped in my head and I had to write it. Hope you enjoy and reviews are welcomed. :)

Disclaimer: I do not own the show Castle. I wish I did because Richard Castle really is ruggedly handsome.

* * *

Visiting Aunt Kate

I walked down the streets of New York looking for the apartment building of my Aunt Kate. I'm Emily and I'm 8 years old, I guess I'm sort of an orphan now but my Aunt will take care of me. I grew up pretty fast I maybe only 8, but people tell me I have the mouth of a 25 year old.

My mom died a few days ago, nobody knows she's dead; one because she overdosed on heroin and the only person who lives in our small apartment is me. I would have gone to a neighbor's instead of my aunt's apartment which is three hours away from my apartment, but most of our neighbors are junkies like my mom.

Anyway I finally made my way to my Aunts Apartment building which was way nicer than mine. I went up to the eighth floor and walked to her apartment door. I knocked a few times, but there was no answer.

I sighed and looked around to see if there was any spare key that she kept in case she didn't have her others. I looked around for a little while, but I couldn't find one in my reach. I put my skate board up against the wall next to my aunts door, I fixed my gray beanie on my head, and took out two bobby pins from my pocket.

I started to pick the lock of my aunt's door when I heard a man's voice come from behind me, "What do you think you're doing."

"None of your business," I said glaring at the guy.

The guy was older looking probably my aunt's age, he had messy blackish or dark brown hair, and blue eyes. He's what my mom would call ruggedly handsome.

"You're breaking into my friend's home kid, so I think it is my business. Also this is a detective's home," The man said crossing his arms.

"I know she's my aunt," I said still glaring at the man.

"Beckett has a niece?" The man said looking confused.

"Yeah," I said in a duh tone.

"She never mentioned a niece or a sibling for that matter. Are you lying?" The man said looking at me skeptically.

"Why would I lie, if I was afraid of getting caught I would have ran a long time ago," I said putting my hands on my hips.

"True. Alright, I'll take you downtown and see what Beckett says," The man said grabbing my arm.

"Fine, but get off my arm. I can walk on my own," I said pulling away from his grasp.

"Nope not going to let you have a chance to run away," The man said.

"I'm not going to run, dude," I said grabbing my skateboard by my free hand as he dragged me to the elevator.

"Just because you say it doesn't mean you won't try," He said looking at me.

I huffed and leaned against the back wall of the elevator.

"What's your name kid?" He asked looking down at me.

"Emily Marie Beckett Roswell," I said looking at the man.

"Hmm… well nice to meet you Emily, I'm Richard Castle," Castle said looking at me with a kind smile.

"You mean the author Castle, the one that shadows my aunt Kate?" I asked him.

"Yeah, so Kate really is your aunt," Castle said.

"Yeah, that's what I tried to tell you," I said.

The elevator opened and Castle walked out still pulling me along. He hailed a cab and we were off to the precinct to see my aunt Kate.

"So were you wandering the streets of New York all by yourself?" Castle asked me.

"Yeah, I can take care of myself. It was only a two hour bus ride and an hour walk. Plus I had my skateboard with me," I said to him.

"Wow, but you're like seven. What made you come here?" He asked me.

"Actually I'm eight, but my mom died a few days ago. I thought my aunt could help me," I said to him.

"I'm sorry, does anyone know your mom's dead?" Castle asked.

"No," I said to him.

Castle mouth went agape and just looked at me.

"What?" I asked him.

"You didn't tell anyone?" Castle asked.

"There was no one to tell, so that's why I came to find my aunt," I said shrugging.

He nodded and the rest of the cab ride to the precinct was quiet. We went to the precinct and went into the elevator, going to the floor my aunt was on.

"Hey Castle. Who's the Kid? You babysitting or something," A Hispanic male asked as we walked to a desk that had a name plaque with Det. Beckett on it.

"No this is Beckett's niece, found her trying to break into her apartment," Castle said to him.

"Whoa! Beckett has a niece?" some Caucasian guy said coming to us.

"Yeah, apparently," the Hispanic guy said.

"I didn't even know she had any siblings," the Caucasian guy said.

"Yeah, that's what I said," Castle said.

"Are you sure she isn't pulling your leg Castle?" the Hispanic guy said with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah, I think," Castle said.

"I'm not pulling anybody's leg. I'm just here for my aunt," I said crossing my arms.

"What's everybody doing at my desk?" I heard my aunt Kate say behind us.

"Hi, Aunt Kate," I said smiling at her.

"Emily what are you doing here? Where's your mom?" Aunt Kate asked me as she dropped down on one knee for eye level.

"Mom's dead, she overdosed a few days ago," I said to her.

"Oh my god! How did you get here?" Kate asked me.

"I took a bus then walked to your apartment. That's when Castle found me breaking in and brought me here," I said with a lot of hand gestures.

"Thanks for bringing her Castle," She said to him.

"It's no problem, plus I thought she was a mini burglar," Castle said.

"You have a niece," the Spanish guy said.

"Yeah, my sister was about ten years older than me and we didn't see eye to eye much because of her drug usage," Kate said to her co-workers.

"Oh," They all said in unison.

"Esposito, Ryan can you watch her while I talk to the captain," Kate said to them.

"Why can't Castle watch her?" Esposito asked.

"It's Castle, I trust him, but it's Castle," Kate said to them.

"Hey, I can take care of children. Alexis turned out just fine," Castle said with a pout.

"I know Castle, but it's not you I'm worried about. Emily has been through a lot. She's been around criminals all her life, she knows how to manipulate people," Kate said to Castle.

"Okay," Castle said back.

My Aunt Kate walked away towards the captain's office and I stayed with the three men.

"So, have you ever killed someone?" I asked Ryan and Esposito.

"No," Ryan said. "Have you?" Esposito asked.

"No, and even if I did why would I tell two cops," I said.

"She's got a point," Castle said with a smile.

The two detectives just groaned and shook their heads.

"Do you have a father?" Castle asked me.

"He died when I was four, shot himself in the head," I said.

"Wow, I'm sorry," Castle said.

"It's fine, mama said if he didn't do it she would have," I said.

They all gasped with wide eyes at my story.

"Jeez you guys are gullible," I said with a laugh.

"What?" Ryan asked.

"My dad's not dead, and my mama never said that. He's in jail for a double homicide," I said to them.

"So, your dad killed people?" Castle said.

"Nah, I'm just messing with you. I'm a compulsive liar," I giggled at them.

"Huh," They all said in unison.

"Hey, I talked to the captain and their going to get my sisters body," Aunt Kate said to everyone.

Aunt Kate looked at all three men's faces and saw the smirk on mine and said, "What she do?"

"First, she told us her dad shot himself in the head and then she said he was in jail for a double homicide," Ryan said to my aunt.

"Emily, go wait for me over by those chairs," Aunt Kate said as she pointed towards some chairs.

"Fine," I said as I walked over towards the seats and sat in one.

Truth is my dad really did die, he was killed while delivering drugs to someone. I was two when it happened, so I don't really remember him much. I just like messing with people, I'm a bad kid.

"Emily, come on," My Aunt Kate said. It was silent from the elevator to the cab ride and to my aunt's home.

"Emily I know you've been through a lot, but you're lying is going to get you hurt," She said to me with seriousness.

"I know I'm sorry Aunt Kate," I said to her.

"Come here," She said as she got on her knees with open arms.

I gave my aunt a hug and started to cry on her shoulder.

"You'll never leave me right?" I asked her through sniffles.

"I'll never leave you, Em. I love you so much and I'm going to be the best aunt you ever had," She said while rubbing my back.

"You're the only aunt I have," I said.

"Ha, I know sweetie. I was just saying I'll be a good aunt," She said looking at me as she pulled us from our hug.

"I know, thanks Aunt Kate," I said with a small smile.

"You're welcome Emily. We'll get your clothes tomorrow from you're apartment. Okay?" She said.

"Okay," I said.

"I'll get you a shirt you can wear to bed," She said.

Aunt Kate gave me a long black shirt with the letters NYPD inside a badge on the front. She let me sleep in the guest bedroom and as soon as I hit the mattress I fell asleep.


	2. Chapter 2

AN: Thank you everyone for following and favouring this story. I honestly didn't expect that. Thank you for the reviews as well. Norman01: thanks for pointing out I had Richards eyes as brown and not blue. Here's the next chapter everybody, enjoy. Don't forget to Review. :)

Disclaimer: I do not own Castle or it's characters.

* * *

Hanging with Aunt Kate

I woke up early morning, around 6:30 a.m. and my Aunt Kate was still asleep. I snuck into her room undetected and decided to wake her up. I jumped on the bed and started to jump up and down.

"Emily… No… Its 6:30 a.m. Go back to sleep," Aunt Kate said as she put her sheet over her head.

I landed on my knees and took off my Aunt's sheet from her head, "I'm not tired."

"Well I am. Go into the living room and watch some cartoons, okay?" Aunt Kate said.

"Okay," I said as I left my Aunt Kate's room.

Time for my destruction of property to begin. First was the kitchen, I was of course hungry for breakfast. So, I raided my Aunt's closets and fridge. I found some cereal, chips, milk, eggs, orange juice, and other stuff. I decided to have a field day.

About ten minutes later the kitchen was destroyed. A big bowl of half eaten cereal and milk on the counter, milk on the floor, eggs and bologna on the floor and ceiling, Orange juice everywhere, paper towels strewn about the kitchen, and other stuff I found in her fridge. Step one complete.

Next came the living room. I got my skate board from the guest room I slept in. I leaned it against the coffee table and got to work with the cushions of the couch and chairs. I threw them around the apartment. I turned on my aunt's entertainment center and turned the radio to a hard rock station.

Once I found my station I cranked it up to the highest setting and music blasted through the apartment. I grabbed my skate board and started doing tricks in the living room. My Aunt came bursting in and she looked furious with her hands holding her ears. She quickly shut off the entertainment system and grabbed my arm.

"Emily Marie Beckett Roswell!" she yelled at me.

Before she could yell any more there was a knock on the door. She dragged me with her to the door and opened it.

"Hey, Kate. Whoa, what's going on in here? Having a party," Castle said with a chuckle.

"No! Emily was being a pest," My Aunt Kate said.

"That's what kids do. Especially when they want attention," Castle said to her.

"Yeah I guess. Did Alexis ever do something like this?" she asked.

"Not really, maybe once when she was about four, but she's pretty much been an angel," Castle said.

"What are you even doing here, Castle?" She asked with a raised brow.

"I was thinking you might need some coffee and help. Looks like I was right," Castle said with another chuckle.

"Fine come in," She said as she dragged me to the living room.

"Put the cushions back okay, Em," Aunt Kate said to me.

"Okay," I said to her.

Aunt Kate led Castle to the kitchen and I waited for it.

"EMILY!" I heard my aunt scream loudly.

I slowly walked into the kitchen with a nervous stomach. My Aunts eyes were huge and she looked like she was going to flip.

"Wow, I've never seen a kid go this far and beyond before. This kids got guts," Castle said while looking around.

"Castle, you're not helping! Emily, why'd you do this," my Aunt Kate said to me.

"I was hungry," I said shrugging my shoulders.

"Cut the crap, Em. Go to your room as I clean this," my aunt said pointing out of the kitchen.

"Alright," I said with a lowered head.

I went to "my room" with my skateboard in hand. As soon as I closed the door a grin broke out on my face. Time for the next part of my plan, to go to the skate park. I got dressed in my clothes from yesterday and placed my beanie on my head.

I climbed out of the bedroom window and onto the fire escape. I slowly made my way down and dropped to the alleyway ground. I ran to the sidewalk and ran towards the park. Half way there I started riding my skateboard and I got to the skate park in the fastest time ever.

"Hey, Emily," Leon said as he gave me a high five.

"Hey, Leon. Hey, Stitch. Hey, Mike," I said as I gave each of them a high five.

"Haven't seen you for a while," Stitch said.

We call him Stitch because he's only ten, but already had about a hundred stitches throughout his body.

"I've been busy, living with my aunt now. It's my first day and already wreaking havoc in her apartment," I said with a shrug.

"That's Emily for you. Plus breaking out is going to get you so grounded," Leon said with a laugh.

Leon is Mike's older brother and he is four years older than us. Mike and I are both in the same class together and started hanging out at the skate park.

"Yeah I know. My aunts a cop, so it's fun pushing her buttons," I said with a laugh.

"You are one crazy kid, Emmy," Leon said shaking his head.

"Hey, Emily. Want to ride the half pipe with me?" Mike asked.

"Sure thing. Bet I can do a three sixty turn," I said to him as we walked to the half pipe.

"You're on," Mike said.

We went up top on the half pipe and I went down first. As I got some air each time I went back and forth and on my third round I attempted the three sixty. I nailed it and I slowly made my momentum slow down as I finished my round.

"Beat that!" I yelled to Mike who was still up top.

"Nice one, Emmy," Leon said.

"Yeah nice," Stitch said.

"Thanks guys," I said to them.

Mike took his turn and barely did a one eighty and slid down the ramp.

"Ooh…" We all said in unison.

"I'm fine, nice job, Emmy. Guess you win," Mike said to me.

"You owe me your ice cream at school on Monday," I said to Mike.

"Alright, deal," He said to me.

"Um, Emily," Stitch said to me.

"Yeah," I said.

"Isn't that you?" Stitch asked pointing towards the TV in the rec area of the skate park.

"Oh no," I said as I looked at the local news.

I saw my picture and I read the statement underneath it, "8 year old Emily Beckett Roswell: Runaway."

"Great, do any of you have money for the pay phone?" I asked.

"Sure here," Leon said handing me $2 in quarters.

I went to the payphone inside the skate park and called 411 who gave me the precincts number. I dialed the precinct and I got a man on the phone.

"Hello, can I talk to Detective Beckett?" I asked.

"She's not here right now. Is this her niece?" The man asked.

"Yes," I said.

"I'm Captain Montgomery, where are you?" He asked me.

"At the skate park by fifth," I said to him.

"Alright, I'll tell your Aunt," He said and hung up.

I hung up the payphone with a sigh. I sat on a bench and waited for my Aunt to come.

"You're dead you know that right," Leon said.

"Yeah I know," I said.

About 15 minutes later I saw a very, very, angry Aunt Kate coming towards me. I'm pretty sure death was very close to what my punishment was going to be. Everyone was standing back but definitely checking out the scene that was about to unfold.

Aunt Kate grabbed my arm and said, "What the heck were you thinking about running away like that?"

"Technically it wasn't running away, I'd be long gone by now if I did. Plus I wouldn't have called myself in. By the way if you plan on killing me, there's a whole bunch of witnesses to testify," I said to her.

"Emily! Come on were getting your things from your old apartment and you're staying at the precinct with me," She said as she pulled me away towards her car.

I sat in the back because Castle was tagging along with us.

"Hey there Runaway," Castle said looking in the rear view mirror with a smirk.

"Leave me alone," I said giving him a glare.

"Emily!" my aunt said in a warning tone.

I just rolled my eyes and played with the wheels of my skate board. 30 minutes of silence and the ride finally concluded and we pulled up to my old apartment building. We went up to my floor of the apartment building and walked towards my apartment.

My mom's neighbor was standing outside and greeted me, "Hey there, little bit."

He was a scrawny guy and is also a drug addict like half of the neighborhood.

"Hey there, Big Jay," I said to him.

"Sorry about your mama, kid. She was a cool lady," He said to me.

"Thanks, Jay," I said to him.

"Who's this pretty lady?" Jay said looking at my aunt.

"I'm the kid's aunt and also a cop. I'm having a pretty bad day, so don't even start with me right now," she said glaring at him.

"Okay, I'm just going to go. Bye, kid," he said, leaving to his room pretty fast.

"He seemed friendly," Castle said with a smirk.

"Shut up Castle," My aunt said glaring at him.

Castle smirked and put his hands up in a surrender position.

"Come on Emily," she said pushing me towards the door.

We went into my apartment and it was filled with trash and overall a complete mess.

"Jeez you lived in here?" Castle asked looking around the junkie apartment.

"Yeah it's not the cleanest, but it was a roof over my head," I said to him.

"Go get your things, Em," my aunt said to me.

"Okay," I said going to my old room.

I picked up my bag from my closet and filled it with clothes that I liked and my other pair of sneakers. Once it was pretty much full I zipped it up and put it on my bed. I got my school bag and filled it with notebooks and a few coloring books and crayons I had. I threw my school bag over my shoulder and carried the other out to the living room, where my aunt and Castle were conversing and looking around.

"You all packed?" my aunt asked me.

"Yep," I said to her.

"Let me get that for you," Castle said reaching for my bag.

I let him take it and said, "Thank you."

They both looked at me with a raised eyebrow and a hint of shock.

"I do have some manners, I'm not that bad" I said with a glare.

"I know, Em. Come on let's go to the precinct," my Aunt said as she led us out.

I took one last glance around my old dingy apartment that I called home since I was born and followed them out, leaving my old life behind.

After a forty minute drive to my Aunt's precinct, I was sitting by her desk watching her doing paper work. Castle was in the break room getting coffee and chatting with Esposito. I was so bored I'm pretty sure death was right around the corner.

Yeah I had a few books with me and coloring books, but that can only be entertaining for so long. I wish some action would happen, maybe my aunt getting a call about some crazy murder. I propped my elbow up on my aunt's desk and put my head in my hand. I let out a sigh and my aunt looked over at me.

"Emily, if you wouldn't have snuck out, you could have been at home or the skate park," Aunt Kate said to me.

"Yeah I know, but where's the action. I want to see a dead body or something," I groaned.

"There's not always something exciting going on. There's more to police work than solving murders and going on a shootout," She said with a small frown.

"I guess. Sounds boring though," I said flopping back in my chair.

"Jobs aren't supposed to be fun, Em," My Aunt said with a stern face.

I just groaned and looked at Castle coming out of the break room with Esposito.

"Beckett did we get anything yet, I'm so bored," Castle whined flopping into the chair next to me.

"God, now I have two kids to keep entertained," Aunt Kate said with a small smirk and shake of the head.

"Well, have fun with that. I have to go finish some paperwork," Esposito said with a laugh.

My Aunt went back to doing paperwork and silence swept over us. Castle nudged me and I looked up at him. He had a huge grin on his face like a kid who was up to no good. I knew that face all too well, because that was my signature look. I smiled back and wondered what he was up to.

He whispered in my ear and said, "Want to play a game."

I nodded my head and he took out two dinosaur figurines. I smiled and he gave me the T-rex while he had the Triceratops. We started playing on Aunt Kate's desk, it went from a quiet little game to a full on story battle.

"NO! I thought you were my friend. How could you betray me?" Castle said in a funny voice.

"I didn't mean to betray you, but it's a cruel, cruel world. And desperate times calls for desperate measures," I said in my own funny voice.

"Please don't eat me we could get through this together," Castle said.

"I'm sorry old friend, but it's already done," I said and then made eating noises pretending my dinosaur was eating his.

"Really, Castle?" My Aunt Kate said watching us with a smirk.

"What? We were bored and it was fun. Besides your niece has quite the vocabulary and storytelling skills," Castle said with a smile.

"Well thanks for keeping her occupied, but do you always keep dinosaur figurines in your pocket?" My aunt asked with a laugh.

"Well it's not always a dinosaur, I have others. They do come in handy sometimes," Castle said with a shrug.

The Captain came out and came over to my Aunts desk and said, "Detective Beckett we have a multiple homicide by the docks. Three bodies were found in a freight box, I need you to check it out."

"Okay Captain, I'll get right on it," My Aunt said getting up.

"Okay," he said walking away.

"Yes, finally something interesting," Castle said getting up from his seat.

"Can I come?" I asked standing up.

"No, Emily. I don't need you touching something that's not supposed to be touched or getting into trouble," She said.

"Aww, come on, Beckett. Let her have some fun, I'll even keep an eye on her," He said dropping on his knee.

He gave me a silent command and he pulled me close. We looked up at my aunt Kate with puppy dog eyes and said, "Please!"

"Okay fine, I don't know who's worse. Guess I'm going to be babysitting the both of you. I swear you two are going to be the death of me one day," My aunt said while grabbing her stuff.

"Come on Beckett, it's going to be awesome. Plus, two of your favorite people will be by your side," Castle said with a smile.

We walked into the elevator and my Aunt said, "Only one of my favorite people, I'm just stuck with you."

"I'm so hurt," Castle said.

"Don't worry Castle you're my friend," I said with a smile.

"Yay, at least I have one Beckett on my side," He said hugging me sideways.

"That's because you act her age, Castle," Aunt Kate said shaking her head.

"Hey! Yeah, I guess that's true," Castle said with a laugh.


	3. Chapter 3

AN: Thank you again to everyone for following, favouring, and reviewing this story. Here's the next chapter everybody, enjoy. Don't forget to Review. :)

Disclaimer: I do not own Castle or it's characters.

* * *

Finally Something Awesome

We got to the docks about an hour after we left the precinct. There was a huge commotion going on when we got there. There was about a dozen squad cars, nosey citizens, and people who worked at the docks. We walked under the police tape and a cop led us to the three dead bodies inside a maroon colored freight.

"What do we have Lanie?" my aunt asked a pretty African-American lady who was working on one of the bodies.

I was guessing she was the coroner because of the way she was looking over the body.

"Right now all I can tell you is that those two over there were shot once to the head. This guy right here was shot multiple times, at least a dozen rounds. I'll know more when we get them back to the morgue," Lanie said.

My aunt nodded and looked around.

"Wow, three dead bodies in one day. This is awesome," I said looking at the man with twelve bullet wounds and blood pooling around him.

"Pretty sweet right," Castle said with a grin.

I nodded my grin matching his.

"Who's this?" Lanie asked with a raised brow.

"My niece Emily," my aunt said.

"This is Emily," Lanie said.

My Aunt Kate nodded and looked around some more.

"Nice to meet you Emily," Lanie said.

"Nice to meet you too," I said.

"I bet this has something to do with the mob, a hit gone wrong or maybe they turned on each other," Castle said while acting out the different scenarios.

"Really Castle?" my aunt said with an exasperated look on her face.

"He may be right," I said looking at the man more closely.

"What? How could you know that?" My aunt said.

"Look at that tattoo there. There's this big underground mob in downtown Brooklyn trying to make its way back up. Trying to create a name for themselves. That there is their initiation tattoo," I said to them.

"How do you know all that Em?" My aunt said with shock clearly written on her face.

"One of my mom's dealers was in the group," I said with a shrug.

"Was in the group?" Castle asked.

"Yeah, not too long after he joined, he was tracked down by the higher known mobsters in New York and was popped, double tap to the back of the head," I said.

"Oh god, I can't believe you heard all that," Aunt Kate said with a frown.

"No big deal, plus I gave you a lead," I said with a shrug.

"She did help give us some info, and you didn't even want to bring her along," Castle said with a smirk.

"Don't tempt me Castle, or I'll send you home too," Aunt Kate said.

"You're sending me home?" I said with a frown.

"Yes, you shouldn't even be here now. I'm calling my dad and see if he can take you to my apartment," my aunt said.

* * *

I was now sitting at my Aunt Kate's apartment with my grandpa and watching television. I've met my grandpa multiple times when my mom would wind up in jail for a bit or when he wanted to make sure I was safe.

"So Emily, did your aunt talk about signing you up at a new school yet?" grandpa asked me.

"Why can't I stay at my old school?" I asked slightly confused.

"Your old school is way across town and it may be better for you at a new school," he said with concern.

"But I like my old school, that's where all my friends go," I said sadly.

"I know Emily, but it's for the best. It's getting late you should head to bed," he said to me.

"Okay, night grandpa," I said going to my room.

It was only going on eight, and I'm so not tired. I threw on my beanie and shoes and grabbed my skateboard. I climbed out onto the fire escape and climbed down to the bottom. I skated downtown where I knew that some of the underground mob hangs out. I walked into the old, uninhabited, rusty warehouse that looked like the site of any horror movie.

I heard voices coming from deep within the old run down place and quietly kept to the shadows so I wouldn't make my presence known. I found about six men who were all different shapes and sizes. I hid behind some crates and boxes and peeked out to see what was going on.

This tall burly guy who I assumed was at least 6'3" was in front of four of the men. Another man was standing next to the tall scary man, he was a little bit shorter and skinnier then the other one. I'm guessing the scary guy was the head mobster and the thinner one was his second in command.

"What the hell! What was Paco doing down at the docks with Mark and Chino?" the scary guy said with a heavy Italian accent to the men.

"I'm sorry boss, I didn't know it was gonna go down like that. Paco had this big idea of trading with them bastards. I didn't go along with it I swear," a younger man in his late twenty's said with a Bronx accent.

"That's not what I heard, Marty. I heard you're the one who set the whole meeting up. Am I wrong?" the boss said with a glare.

"Uh… Um… well I mean at first, but…" Marty was cut off with a gun to his face.

I sat there motionless afraid of what was about to go down.

"You do not go around making decisions behind my back. You got one of my best people killed you little shit. I've been planning on taking this city for years now, and I was part way there. You just took me five steps back. You better start praying boy, because you have three seconds before you meet your maker," the boss said to him.

I held my ears waiting for the gunshot. Marty closed his eyes and seemed to mumble something. Next thing I know Marty drops to the floor as the muffled sound of a gunshot echoes through the warehouse.

They started talking to one another, but I couldn't take my eyes off of Marty watching his blood pool around his face. Next thing I hear is sirens coming from a distance. All the mobsters darted to the back of the building probably hightailing it out of sight.

I just sat there stunned and it wasn't because I witnessed my first murder. It was because I just witnessed a murder from the mob, and if anyone finds out I'll end up like Marty. All of a sudden the front door burst open and the police flooded the building.

Then I noticed four of the people who were examining their surroundings. My aunt Kate, Esposito, Ryan, and Castle. I was in deep sugar honey ice tea if I'm caught in the middle of this. Then a phone went off making me jump slightly, but I quickly caught myself and watched my aunt pick up her phone.

"What!? What do you mean she's not in her room? … How long ago did you send her to bed? … About two hours ago, Oh god. She could be anywhere. I'll find her don't worry dad. … Yeah I'll just finish up here and ask some officers to be on the lookout. … Okay keep me posted if she comes back," my aunt said then promptly hung up.

"What's wrong?" Castle asked.

"Emily's gone, again," my aunt said shaking her head.

"We'll find her, don't worry Kate," Castle said to her.

"I know, but it's the middle of the night Castle, and with this mob getting out of hand. Who knows?" she said with worry written on her face.

I sat there thinking about popping out and saying I'm here, but on second thought I'd rather not get into even more trouble. Just as I was thinking all these thoughts I was thrown under the bus by a uniformed cop coming around to my hiding spot.

"Detective Beckett we have a situation here," the man said looking over the boxes to my aunt.

"Another dead body, Clay?" my aunt asked as she walked over.

"No a kid, and very much alive," Clay said looking down at me.

"Oh my God, Emily," my aunt said looking at me.

She had so many emotions showing on her face I thought she would crack.

"Hey, Aunt Kate. What brings you here?" I said with a shy smile.

My aunt yanked me off the ground by my arm and looked me dead in the eye. I think I'm more scared of her right now than those mobsters.

"Emily how much did you see?" my aunt asked me.

"Everything," I said with a sigh. I knew this wasn't good and I was in hot water.

"Great, just great," my aunt mumbled.

"We have a big problem," my aunt said as she pulled me towards Esposito, Ryan, and Castle.

They all looked shocked and I just sheepishly looked at the ground knowing I was going to have to explain myself.

* * *

Back at the precinct I was in the interrogation room with my aunt and Castle. My aunt looked furious and her brown eyes raged with anger. She leaned over the interrogation table with both hands flat on the smooth surface.

Her whole body looked rigid as she stared down at my little eight year old body. I don't think I was ever this scared of my aunt before, I must have really hit a nerve.

"Why were you there?" my aunt said in the most serious tone I've ever heard.

"I thought I'd help with the case," I said looking at her.

"You could have gotten yourself killed, Em," my aunt said to me.

"But I didn't. At least now you have a witness," I said with a glare.

"Emily this is serious. If you would have been caught, you'd be dead right now. I don't need you ending up like your mother and father," she said glaring right back.

"I'm nothing like them," I said my voice rising.

"You're just like them Emily! You don't think and your always putting yourself in danger," My aunt said her voice booming.

"I hate you!" I said to her.

"I should have never taken you in," she said.

We all stopped knowing that was crossing the line. Even Castle looked shocked and solemn.

"Emily," my Aunt Kate said softly.

"Leave me alone," I said looking at the floor with tears brimming my eyes.

"Beckett, let's go in the hall for a while," Castle said in a soft calm voice.

My aunt nodded and followed Castle out into the hall way. I let my tears run freely down my face. I knew I was nothing but trouble, but hearing everything that my aunt said only made it worse. Maybe I am no better than my mom and dad. I wiped my tears furiously and slammed my hands on the table.

My aunt doesn't want me and no one else wants me. It's like I'm the last kid on earth that no one cares about. The door opened and I thought it was my aunt, but it was just Castle with a bottle of water. He handed the water to me and I took it thankfully. I only drank a little, but it was enough to push the remaining lump in my throat.

"You know your aunt didn't mean that," Castle said.

"Yes she did, my mama would say the same thing almost every day. I'm a horrible kid and nobody wants me," I said with a sad look on my face.

"You're not a horrible kid, you've just been through some horrible things in your life and we have to work past it," Castle said.

"What if she's right? What if I am just like them? I'll just wind up dead, just another victim of the streets of New York," I said glaring at my red hands from hitting the table.

"You won't Emily, because you have an Aunt who loves you, a grandpa who watches out for you, a whole precinct to protect you, and my family will be here for you too. You'll never be alone again Emily," Castle said with a slight smile.

"You promise?" I asked him with a raised brow.

"I promise. Now let me go get your aunt so you can tell her everything that happened," Castle said.

I nodded and watched Castle leave to get my aunt.

I explained to my aunt how I'd known that they'd be there and how I got there. It was a long two hours of explanations and pointing out the people I saw in the warehouse by their mugshots. By the time we got finished I was dreadfully tired and didn't even remember falling asleep while waiting for my aunt to finish up.

Next thing I know I wake up and I'm in Castle's arms. He was carrying me through my aunt's front door. It was nice of him to do so. He laid me on my bed, in my aunt's guest bedroom, and tucked me in.

"Night, Emily," Castle said.

"Night, Castle," I said just barely keeping consciousness.

Before I fell into dreamland I could have sworn I saw a smile form on Castle's lips.


	4. Chapter 4

AN: Thank you again to everyone for following, favouring, and reviewing this story. Here's the next chapter everybody, enjoy. Reviews are welcomed. :)

Disclaimer: I do not own Castle or it's characters.

* * *

First day of School and Possibly the Last

It's been five days since I moved into my Aunt Kate's apartment and today was my first day at my new school. I was angry that I couldn't stay at my old school, but I had no say in the matter. Now I'm stuck at this stupid preparatory school that's about three blocks from my Aunt's apartment.

I was wearing a blue and red plaid skirt, a white formal shirt under a red blazer with the schools emblem on it, long black socks that went just below my knees, and black dress shoes. My hair was pulled back into a ponytail with a red headband holding back the pieces of hair that weren't long enough to be in the ponytail. Aunt Kate pulled up to the school and parked in front of it.

"Do I have to go?" I groaned out.

"Emily, we've been through this a hundred times. You have to go to school and this is the best school in this area," my aunt said with a sigh.

"I hate this. This uniform sucks and no one likes prep school students," I said.

"Emily you're going whether you like it or not. I need to get to work," my aunt said looking at me sternly.

"Fine," I said.

"Remember straight home after school, no detours," aunt Kate said.

"Yeah, yeah. I know," I said.

"I'll see you later, Em. And please be good, I don't need you getting expelled on your first day," my aunt said.

"I won't," I said.

"I love you, Em. Have a good day," Aunt Kate said.

"Love you too," I said as I grabbed my back pack from the floor.

I got out and walked towards the front steps of my school. I opened the big red door and stepped into the spotless prep school. The floors were shiny and the walls were as white as snow. The only things that covered the walls were bright red rows of lockers and posters here and there. The halls bustled with students young and old.

Since this school went from pre k to sixth there was a whole bunch of age ranges. I walked to the principal's office to get my classroom and locker number. I walked towards the old secretary sitting behind a desk with piles of folders and books.

"I'm Emily Beckett Roswell, and," I started to say before I was cut off.

"Yes, go right in. He'll give you your things," she said with a small smile.

"Okay," I said.

I walked towards his office and knocked on the door. I heard the principle say to come in and I obliged.

"Hello, you must be Miss Roswell. I have your class right here; your teachers name is Mrs. Chance and is in room 108. This is your locker number which is 35 and the combination. I hope you enjoy your first day and I heard from your aunt and your old school you're a little bit of a trouble maker. Just don't get called into my office on your first day," the principal said to me while handing me papers.

I said my thanks and walked back to the hallway. I looked at the school map the principal gave me with all my other papers and looked for my locker. I found it pretty easily and luckily it was right by my classroom.

I opened up my locker and put in some extra notebooks and my lunch box. I shut it and locked it and went to my classroom. The class was pretty much full when I got there but there was still a few empty chairs around the room.

"Oh you must be, Emily," A cheery lady in her mid-40s said.

"Hi, you must be Mrs. Chance," I said with a slight smile.

"Yes, welcome dear. When the bell rings I'd like you to tell us a little about yourself," Mrs. Chance said with a smile.

"What do I say?" I asked.

"Anything you want. It could be where you're from, hobbies, and anything interesting," she said to me.

"Okay," I said to her.

Only one more student straggled in before the bell rung and now I was in front of at least 13 students.

"Go ahead and introduce yourself to the class," Mrs. Chance said to me.

"Hi, I'm Emily Becket Roswell. I'm originally from downtown Brooklyn and I just moved in with my aunt. I also love skateboarding," I said to the class.

A young snotty looking blond girl raised her hand from her desk.

"Yes, Hailey," Mrs. Chance said.

"Is it true your mom died on drugs and you're just another charity case for this school?" Hailey asked with a glare.

The class snickered and Hailey beamed.

"Settle down Class. Hailey! That's rude," our teacher said.

"It's fine. She's right though, but you know Hailey I have friends in low places," I said with a deadly smirk.

"Emily! Please girls just relax. Thank you for your introduction you may sit down now," Mrs. Chance said starting to get flustered.

I sat down towards the back and put my backpack on the back of the chair. I sat there bored as heck listening to the teacher drone on and on about math, reading, and science. Finally it was time for lunch and I went down to the cafeteria with my lunchbox in hand.

I had no clue what my aunt threw in here, but hopefully it's good. I went over to an empty table and opened up my lunchbox. My aunt packed me a ham sandwich with cheese and mayonnaise, a banana, and apple juice box. Not too bad, at least it's nothing gross like fish or tofu.

"Can I sit with you?" asked a shaggy blond haired, blue eyed boy.

He was wearing the schools navy blue blazer, with a white shirt underneath, a navy blue and red striped tie, khaki pants, and dress shoes.

"Sure," I said with a smile.

"I'm Henry," he said with a smile.

"I'm Emily," I said.

"I know, I loved what you said to Hailey this morning. It was awesome," he said with a chuckle.

"I'm guessing Hailey isn't very nice," I said with my own laugh.

"Ha, gosh no. The only people fooled are all the adults, she's always getting away with something. Plus it doesn't help that her dad bought the new add on to the library," Henry said.

"Oh so her families rich," I said.

"Filthy rich, I heard they own like 30 business in America alone. Bet it's nice being rich and pay your way through school," Henry said.

"Yeah, how about you?" I asked him.

"Oh no. I mean I have money, but I'm mostly here on scholarships," he said with a shrug.

"Cool," I said.

"Hey, Henry. New girl," a young Spanish boy with spikey black hair said as he sat down in front of us.

He was dressed similarly to what Henry was wearing but had black pants on instead.

"Hey, Leo," Henry said to the kid.

"Your names Emily right?" Leo said with a smile.

"Yeah that's me," I said to him.

"Cool, I'm Leonardo, but everyone calls me Leo. I'm originally from Cuba, but my parents moved here when I was two," Leo said.

"Nice to meet you," I said to him.

He nodded and took a bite out of his square pizza from the school lunch.

"Where's Blaire?" Henry asked.

"Still in line. Hailey and her friends cut in front of her," Leo said with a frown.

"Hailey is so annoying," Henry said.

"Yeah," Leo said.

We all sat quietly and ate our food. Soon a pretty red headed girl with freckles came over to our table. She was dressed similarly to me accept she had a school colored head band holding back her straight red hair.

"Hey, Blaire. Heard Hailey and her friends cut in front of you," Henry said.

"Yeah, it's alright though. At least she didn't knock my food on the ground again," Blaire said softly.

"That's horrible, someone should teach her a lesson," I said.

"Oh no, you can't do anything," Blaire said with wide green eyes.

"Why not?" I asked.

"This school has a strict policy on fighting or any bullying for that matter. You'd get expelled in a heartbeat and a mark on your transcripts," Henry said.

"So, plus Hailey seems like a bully. How comes she's not expelled," I said with a confused face.

"Because it's Hailey Florence. Her family put tons of money into this school and four generations went here. She could get away with almost anything," Leo said.

"That sucks, I wouldn't give two thoughts about giving her a piece of my mind, but my aunts been on me lately. If I got kicked out of school who knows what she'll do. Probably boarding school," I said.

"It would be nice to see her suffer, but sadly were all on thin ice and have something to lose," Henry said with a sigh.

"Let's stop talking about Hailey, she makes me want to vomit," Leo said.

We all laughed as he did gaging noises and gestures.

"Okay, hey you said you like skateboarding," Henry said.

"Yeah I love it," I said.

"Us too. You should come with us to our skate park a few blocks from here. It's huge and indoors," Henry said.

"I'd love too, but I have to go straight home," I said.

"We wouldn't be there until two," Leo said.

"Once again I'd love too, but I'm grounded for sneaking out twice in a week," I said to them.

"Oh, maybe next time. You're our new friend, right guys," Henry said.

"Yeah," they said in unison.

"Cool, I'd love to be friends," I said.

"Awesome," Henry said with a smile.

We ate the rest of lunch and occasionally making small talk. Eventually lunch was over and we headed back to class. We stayed in class for about an hour than went to our music elective. I met our music teacher named Mr. Devin. He was about 30 and wore a nice suit and tie. I got stuck playing the flute which was okay once I got the hang of it.

Eventually we headed back to class for another hour and then it was time for recess. We went onto the playground and played around the huge jungle gym and slides. I hung out with Henry, Leo and Blair.

"Tag! You're it," Blaire said as she tagged Leo.

"Aww man," Leo said.

He started chasing us around the playground. As I was running around the corner of the jungle gym I was tripped by a foot. I fell face first and got dirt in my face. I looked up and I saw Hailey smirking down at me as her two friends snickered behind her.

"You should really watch where you're going. We don't want any accidents to happen," Hailey said as she sauntered off with her buddies.

I glared at her retreating back and pulled myself up. I dusted myself off and restrained myself from running after her and beating her up.

"You okay?" Henry asked.

"Yeah I'm fine," I said.

"Guess your Hailey's new target," Blair said to me.

"Great. Well now she's mine too," I said with a smirk.

"Good luck. The day Hailey gets put in her place we'll all be cheering you on," Henry said.

Leo and Blair nodded and the whistle was blown to go back to class. We had ten minutes left and it flew by like it was nothing. I grabbed my lunch box from my locker and walked to the front of the building with my new friends.

"Bye Emily, see you tomorrow. Bye guys. That's my ride," Henry said as he pointed to a bright red new Ford pickup truck.

"Bye, Henry," I said waving goodbye to him with the others.

"My rides here too. Bye Emily. Bye Leo," Blaire said to us.

We waved goodbye to her until she climbed into a black luxury car.

"Is your ride picking you up?" I asked Leo.

"No, I'm walking with my older sister," Leo said.

I nodded and stood with Leo, waiting for his sister.

"Come on squirt, we don't want to keep Abuela waiting again," A pretty older Spanish girl said.

"Don't call me squirt, Maria. Emily this is my older sister Maria, she's in the sixth grade," Leo said pointing to his sister.

"Hi," I said to her.

"Hi, you must be the new kid. I'm glad you made a new friend squirt," Maria said as she ruffled Leo's hair.

"Uhh Maria. Stop! Not in front of everyone," he said while trying to push his sister away.

"Come on, bye Emily," Maria said starting to walk away.

"Bye Emily," Leo said in an irritated tone as he walked behind his sister.

I sighed and walked down the sidewalk towards home. The streets weren't that busy today, and for New York that's a super rare occasion. Half way towards home I picked up a stick and clanked it against a few iron fences.

I dropped the stick and when I went to pick it up a white van swung in front of me. I didn't even notice because I was reaching for the stick. Next thing I know I'm getting grabbed and brought toward the van.

I tried to fight my way out of the persons grasp, but it was no use. I dropped my backpack in the midst of the struggle and I heard everything clatter out of it. I tried to scream, but a white rag went over my mouth and the last thing I remember before blacking out was the bright blue sky.


	5. Chapter 5

AN: I'm so happy with all the love i'm getting with this story. Thank you everyone for following, favouring, and reviewing this story. Here's the next chapter everybody, enjoy! Don't forget to Review. :)

Disclaimer: I do not own Castle or it's characters.

* * *

Missing and Afraid

My eyes blinked rapidly as I came to from being taken earlier. I looked around the dingy room I was held captive in. It smelled like mildew and old boots. It was pretty dark in the room with only two hanging lights to illuminate it and the light bulbs weren't even bright.

I tried to scream for help but it was muffled by a rag that was placed around my mouth. The rag tasted gross like old leftover meatloaf. I tried to move my body around on the cold metal chair I was seated in, but it was no use. I was tightly secured to the chair with rope around my ankles and my arms and chest tied to the back of the chair.

A door opened and a little more light shined through. The man that I saw at the warehouse a few days ago was coming towards me. The door closed behind him and the room was darker again. I whimpered and wanted nothing more than for this to be a dream.

"Ah, the little girl who saw everything go down at my warehouse. You got two of my men put in jail because of your little spying. I had all my men find out who squealed and when I found out it was just an eight year old girl, I was surely baffled. So, you little shit what do you have to say?" the scary man said.

He took the rag out of my mouth and let it hang around my neck. I tried to get some saliva back in my mouth and wiggled my jaw to get some feeling back.

"I have nothing to say. You're a bad man and my Aunt Kate is going to arrest you, and throw your butt in jail," I said.

"Such a brave kid. You sure have a mouth on you. Your aunt won't be able to find you once I'm through with you, but before I get rid of you I can at least get a little something out of it," the man said.

"What's that mean?" I asked.

"I'm going to tell your Aunt, Detective Beckett, that I have her precious little niece. That precinct is going to do everything in its power to get your little ass back, so might as well get some monies out of it," he said.

I gulped at what the man was telling me. I was sure in for it now. I guess my aunt was right, I was going to end up just like my parents. The door opened and the short skinnier man from the warehouse stepped in a bit.

"Hey, Roman. I got that precincts number. Man you should see the news, its running wild with this shit. Damn kid's making every fucking station," the skinny man said.

"That's what I was hoping for. You get that untraceable phone I asked for, Tony?" Roman asked.

"Sure did, boss," he said.

Tony walked over to us after he closed the door and handed the boss a small black flip phone. The man looked at me and got a confused look on his face.

"Why you looking at the kid like that?" Roman asked.

"Ain't that Jimmy's kid?" Tony asked.

I was surprised he knew my father's name, which actually made me worry a little more.

"Jimmy? That guy we busted for stealing our own products to have for himself and his druggie whore?" Roman said.

"Yeah, him. He had a two year old girl, has the same name as this kid come to think of it. Now that I see her in person, she's almost a spitting image of him," Tony said.

"You're right she does. This just got a little more interesting. Speaking of Jimmy how's the little whore doing, kid?" Roman asked me.

"She's dead," I said.

"Oh, I figured that druggie bitch wouldn't last that long," he said.

"Don't say that about my mama!" I said angrily.

"Don't you dare raise your voice at me, you little shit! I didn't have a hard time killing your father, I'm not going to have a hard time killing you. You need to hear the truth about those two asshole low lives anyway. Your parents were nothing and your nothing. Once you're dead and gone, people are going to mourn for a few days' maybe weeks, but soon you'll just be a forgotten memory," Roman said.

I glared at him and wanted to badly kick him in the nuts like my mama taught me when I was younger.

"Let's get this show on the road. Did you put the number in the phone?" Roman asked Tony.

"Yeah it's all ready for you, boss," Tony said.

Roman flipped opened the phone and hit a button I'm assuming was speed dial for the precinct. He put it on speaker and I heard the phone ring. It rang three times before someone picked up.

"This is the 12th precinct. Who am I speaking with?" a man's voice came through the phones speaker.

"I want to talk to Detective Beckett," Roman said.

"One moment please," the man said.

You could hear scuffling and faint whispers in the background, but nothing I could pick up on.

"Who is this?" I heard my Aunt's voice say.

"No one you need to know about. I have your precious little niece here with me and I have a deal for you," he said.

"You leave her alone and let her go," my aunt said angrily.

"Nuh-uh uh, we have to have a negotiation, detective. You should know the drill," Roman said.

"Fine. What do want?" my aunt asked.

"I want two million, in an unmarked bag. I also want the feds and cops off my back and leaving my little mob party alone," he said.

"I can't promise that. The feds and police are going to be all over you after these few incidences," she said.

"Well you better be able to do something about it, or this precious little kid is going to be making different headlines than being missing," Roman said.

"Okay, fine. Where do you want the money?" My aunt said.

"My second in command will call you later with the details. If you comply with all my demands Detective Beckett, I'll think about keeping your niece alive," he said.

"Don't you dare hurt her," she said.

"Aunt Kate! Help Me! Please," I screamed.

Tony grabbed me roughly and slapped his hand over my mouth. The rest of my screams were muffled and incoherent with his hand smothering my face.

"You have 24 hours to comply or this little kid is dumpster trash," Roman said.

My Aunt didn't even get to reply before Roman hung up the phone. Tony let go of my mouth and hit me in the back of the head. I glared at him as he walked over to Roman.

"All right, in an hour call back and tell them where to leave the money. I'll take the kid to our other secret location in Brooklyn," Roman said.

"All right, boss. Who do you want to pick up the money?" Tony asked.

"Have Francisco pick it up," Roman said.

"Sure thing," Tony said.

Tony left the room, leaving me alone with Roman. Roman took out another rag and a bottle of some clear liquid. He poured it onto the rag and lifted it to my face. I tried to back away, but of course it was no use.

The last thing I hear is, "Nighty night, my little money maker."

* * *

3rd person Pov

Kate hung up the phone after the mobster hung up on her. She placed her hands on the desk in front of her let out a sad sigh. She had no clue if they could scrounge up that kind of money in 24 hours and who knows what the mobster would do to Emily even if he gets his money.

"Beckett you okay?" Castle asked.

She looked up at him with sad eyes and said, "I'm scared, Castle. I don't want to lose Emily, I lost my mom and my sister. I just can't lose her too. She may be a pain in my butt, but she's one of the best things that's happened to me."

Castle pulled Kate into a hug and said, "Hey, we'll find her. We have the best precinct and detectives looking for her. We just have to focus and get her back before any harm comes to her."

"Thanks, Castle. I needed that reassurance, it's just been hard for me since we found her back pack on the sidewalk," she said.

"I know, don't worry. I've been scared to, I grew close to mini Beckett over the past few days. She's a good kid and doesn't deserve this," he said.

Kate nodded and pulled away from Castle. She wiped away some of her spilled tears and let out a shaky sigh.

"Beckett, we got hit off of the hair we found on the chloroformed rag," Esposito said as he walked up to them.

"Who is it?" She asked.

"Tony Escobar, arrested for two counts of drug smuggling and one count of aggravated assault. The worst part is, he's known around the streets of being the right hand man of Roman Ramos. Roman is one of the top dogs in this city, not to mention dangerous. Fourteen murders, this year alone, has been linked to him. We need to find this Tony guy and fast, before Roman does something to Emily," Esposito said.

"Oh god. I know him, he was one of my first cases. He got off on a technicality, but at that time he was still a small town mobster. We have to find Emily," Kate said.

"We put out a BOLO for Tony, see if he slips up. We'll keep you posted," Esposito said.

"Okay," she said.

"Wow, a big time mobster, kidnapping and murders. Man this is like a plot to a bestselling novel," Castle said trying to lighten up the mood.

"Really, Castle," Kate said looking at him with a glare.

"Just trying to lighten up the mood. You have to admit this would make a great story line for my Nikki Heat series," Castle said.

Kate walked away from Castle and Castle watched her retreating back. He sighed and went to the break room to get some coffee and wait for any word on Emily.

* * *

Emily's Pov

I woke up again, but this time in another room. It was brighter than the first and had three small windows surrounding it. Thankfully this time I was not restrained and able to roam freely. My body ached, but I pushed through it as I got up. I walked around the room looking for anything useful but found absolutely nothing.

I went to the door in the room and tried the handle. Of course it was locked and I banged my tiny little fist on the door, out of anger and frustration. I just wanted to leave and see my aunt again. I wish I never got involved but my curiosity always got the best of me. I guess curiosity really does kill the cat.

I sat down on the hard wood floor and picked at some dried paint on the floor. At least I hoped it was red paint and not blood, yuck. My tummy growled and I was starving. I don't know how long I've been missing, but if it's been 24 hours, I need some food.

Roman came in and threw a granola bar at my head. Thankfully, I blocked the incoming flying food so it bounced of my arm.

"Eat it, don't want you dying on me yet," he said.

And with that he was gone and I was alone once again. I opened the granola bar and ate it quickly. Once it was done, everything that has happened finally hit me and I busted out into tears. I never been much of a crier, but I don't want to die. I just want to go back to my Aunt and live a long life.

Eventually, I cried myself to sleep, dreaming about seeing my Aunt Kate again.


	6. Chapter 6

AN: Thank you again to everyone for following, favouring, and reviewing this story. Here's the next chapter everybody, enjoy. Don't forget to Review. :)

Disclaimer: I do not own Castle or it's characters.

* * *

I'm a Goner

I woke up and it was dark outside. There was a small lamp on in the corner of the room which made the room glow a soft yellow. I yawned and stretched. Since I didn't check the windows earlier I decided to see if I could open it up.

They didn't budge, they looked rusty and old anyway. I thought I'd at least get lucky with one of them. I heard the door open behind me and get slammed shut.

"You trying to escape, you shit?" Roman asked.

"No," I said as I leaned against the wall.

"I have some bad news for you sweetheart. Seems like Tony is a dumb ass and I heard he's at the precinct right now. Who knows if he'll keep his mouth shut? So you my friend just earned yourself an early ticket to the grave," Roman said.

"No, please! No don't, please!" I cried.

He grabbed me roughly by the arm and dragging me to an old red car, throwing me into the trunk. I banged on the trunks door, crying my lungs out. I didn't know how I'll make it out of this. I just knew it'll probably be all over soon.

* * *

3rd Person

In the interrogation room at the precinct Kate was aggravated and angry with the man in front of her. Esposito was with her, fuming just as much as she was. Ryan and Castle were watching from behind the glass hoping Tony would spill the beans.

"I'm going to ask you again, where is she?" Kate yelled.

"I ain't telling you shit! I want my lawyer," Tony yelled back.

"You tell us where she is and we won't send you back to prison with some broken bones," Esposito said.

"You can't do that. That's police brutality," Tony said.

"Try us. And since you are a low life scumbag, the state gets to hire a lawyer for you, so you better hope we don't have anybody to get us off for it and have you sent where you belong," Esposito said.

"It don't even matter anyway. That little kid's probably already dead and in a ditch somewhere. Roman ain't playing any games," Tony said.

"You better hope she's not because if she is, every one of your group members are going to regret ever messing with my family," Kate said darkly.

"So, do you want to tell us what we want or do you never want to see daylight again? I heard you have a son, Ethan. Do you want to ever see him again? What if it was him that was missing? How would you feel?" Esposito said.

"I… I couldn't imagine that. You wouldn't keep me away from my son like that, would you?" Tony said.

"Listen Tony, if you don't tell us, we'll make sure you have no visiting rights whatsoever while behind bars. No internet, no outside time, just solitary confinement until your sentence is over. If you even get a short sentence, but with everything we have on you so far, I don't see you getting out anytime soon," Kate said.

"Okay, Okay. I honestly don't know where he is right now. He was going to take the kid to Brooklyn, where he has this really shitty and run down shack. If he already got word of me getting busted, he'd have hightailed it out of there already. He's going to kill the kid. He probably went to the memorial park grave yard, that's where he likes to do most of his killings. It's pretty secluded and heavily populated with woods. I'd hurry if I were you," Tony said.

"Okay Esposito, take Ryan and a squad down to that shack. I'll take Castle and a squad with me to the grave yard. We have to hurry," she said.

Esposito nodded and quickly bolted out of the room with Ryan right behind him.

"Hey, what about me?" Tony asked.

"If she's dead or not, you're still going to prison for a very long time Mr. Escobar," Kate said.

She left the room and Castle followed behind her. She rounded up a squad and they all bolted to the cemetery hoping Emily was still alive.

* * *

Emily's Pov

I gave up my fighting about an hour ago. I just silently cried to myself as I bounced around the confined trunk. We were driving really far and I was getting scared that it would be a supper secluded area where no one would find me for months.

Finally the car slowed to a stop and I heard the car door slam shut. I braced myself for the trunk to open and as soon as I did, it flew open. Roman grabbed me and threw me to the ground. I let out a whimper and tried to stay in a tight ball.

Roman roughly grabbed me again and pretty much dragged me along. It hurt being dragged on the ground, all the rocks and dirt scraped my exposed legs since I was still wearing my school uniform. I could feel the little scrapes and blood trickling down my legs.

"Let go of me!" I screamed.

"Shut up! You're going to die, so just be quiet," he yelled at me.

I cried some more and desperately tried to get out of his grip. We reached a secluded spot in the cemetery and he threw me into a hard tombstone. He pulled a gun out of his black pea coat and loaded it.

I knew this was the end for me. Who thought my life would be cut short at eight years old and at the hands of a vicious mobster. I curled up into a ball, rocking back and forth, hoping my Aunt Kate will come for me.

I heard the man cock his gun and my blood ran cold. I was so scared, but at least I'd see my mom and dad again. I heard a gunshot echo through the cold night air, but I was still breathing.

I looked up and saw blood trickle down Roman's navy blue shirt. He dropped to his knees and slowly fell over face first into the dirt. Behind him stood my Aunt Kate, holding her gun at the spot he was just standing seconds before.

I had no coherent thoughts at that moment, I just got up and ran to my aunt's arms. She dropped onto one knee and held me close to her. I couldn't breathe because we were hugging so hard, but I didn't care I was alive and with my aunt.

She pulled away from me after a while and took a look at me.

"Are you okay, Emily?" she asked.

"Emotionally, physically or both?" I asked.

She gave a slight chuckle, "Well you certainly didn't lose your sense of humor. Seriously though Emily, are you okay?"

"I'm okay I guess. It was really scary, but my legs are all scraped up," I said.

She looked down and saw all the gashes and scrapes on my legs.

"Ooh, those look bad. Come on Emily, we have an ambulance who'll take us to the hospital," Aunt Kate said.

Castle ran up to us and tried to catch his breath. He smiled at me once he did catch his breath and said, "Good to see you, kid"

"Right back at you," I said to him.

"Can you walk Emily?" she asked looking at my legs.

"I don't know," I said.

I tried to take a step, but unbearable pain burned throughout my legs. I let out a whimper and leaned against my aunt.

"Here, I'll carry her," Castle said.

He picked me up and started carrying me towards the parking lot where everyone was located. Police walked passed us as they tried to secure the crime scene and put this case to a close. We reached the ambulance and Castle helped me onto the gurney.

"Can I ride with?" Castle asked.

"Is it okay Emily?" my aunt asked me.

I nodded and I was lifted into the ambulance by the paramedics. I had Castle and my Aunt Kate by my side and the whole way there my aunt never once let go of my hand. It was great seeing her again and maybe this experience will help me appreciate her more.

We spent most of the night in the hospital getting checked out and looked over. Thankfully, I had no broken bones, the most severe bruise I got was a long gash on my left leg which required 12 stitches. All my other scrapes were either two or three stitches or nothing serious, just a thorough cleaning with alcohol.

Ryan, Esposito, Lanie, my grandpa, Alexis, Mrs. Rodgers, and even Captain Montgomery visited me. I got so many new stuffed animals and balloons from them. I was released the next day and instructed to keep my wounds clean. The doctors also mentioned that my stitches should heal in about a month and a half.

I was swarmed by reporters and newspaper writers when I left the hospital. My aunt just told them all that I was fine and no comment. She took me to her apartment and I got to take a few days off of school.

This has been a crazy experience for me and I gained a whole bunch of brownie points with everyone. Everyone at school thinks that I'm cool for surviving a kidnapping by the mob. Except Hailey, she's still a stuck up snob.

Hopefully my life will be a little less adventurous than it has been for the past few days. I don't think I can handle another kidnapping or stint with the mob.


	7. Chapter 7

AN:Thank you again to everyone for following, favouring, and reviewing this story. Here's the next chapter everybody, enjoy. Don't forget to Review. :)

Disclaimer: I do not own Castle or it's characters.

* * *

School Paper

It's been five months since I've been living with Aunt Kate and I was taken by the mob. Since then everything's gone back to normal and my leg healed great. I was doing decently well in school and my friends and I have been spending time together at their skate park.

I don't really get to see my old friends much, but every once in a while I'll visit them at my old skate park. They don't mind too much, but sometimes I feel a little less part of the group.

I was doodling in my notebook when the teacher started giving us an assignment. We all groaned and the teacher just laughed at our unenthusiastic sounds.

"Okay everyone, I'm giving you a big homework assignment. I want you all to write about who's inspirational to them. It can be a family member, someone you met, or someone famous. I want you to put a lot of effort into this. I want a whole page front and back. You have until next Friday to complete it. Also, the best paper will be featured in the New York Times, which is exciting, but just know it's going to be picked out of every third grader in this school. So don't be disappointed if you lose. Pack up before the bell, have a good day everyone," Mrs. Chance said.

We all packed up our stuff and soon after the dismissal bell rung. We all left the class in a hurry and I went to my locker to get the rest of my stuff. My friends waited for me and we walked to the front of the building together.

"So, who are you going to choose?" Leo asked Henry.

"I don't know. Maybe my mom she's a doctor," Henry said with a shrug.

"That's cool. I'm going to write about my uncle, he owns an awesome toy shop in Florida," Leo said.

"How about you Blair?" I asked her.

"Oh I don't know. I might do my favorite writer, JK Rowling. She's pretty inspirational," Blaire said with a shrug.

"Cool," I said.

"You didn't say what you were going to do," Henry said.

"I don't know maybe, Richard Castle or my Aunt Kate," I said.

"That would be cool," Leo said.

We all said our goodbyes and went our separate ways when we reached the font steps of the school. The whole way home I tried to think about who I wanted to do my paper on. It was a hard decision, but I finally figured it out.

I took a detour and found myself knocking on Castle's door. The door opened and his daughter Alexis stood there.

"Hi, Emily. What are you doing here?" she asked.

"Is your dad here? I need to talk to him," I said.

"Yeah he's in his office. Come with me," she said.

Alexis led me to her dad's office where we found him playing with his phone.

"Ha, take that you little slimy monster," he said.

"Um… Dad you have company," Alexis said.

"Emily, what are you doing here?" Castle said as he walked towards me.

Alexis left and I was alone with Castle in his office.

"I need your help," I said.

"With what?" Castle asked.

"I have a paper I have to write and I was going to write it about you, but I thought about it and I want to write it about my aunt. I was wondering if you could help me with it. I need to finish it by next Friday," I said.

"I can help you. Sounds like fun," he said.

"Thanks. Oh, and you can't tell my aunt, I want it to be a surprise. I'm going to tell her I'm doing the paper on you," I said.

"Okay, my lips are sealed. When do you want to start?" Castle asked.

"Tomorrows Saturday, so I think we should try to finish most of it this weekend," I said.

"Okay, sounds like a plan. See you tomorrow, mini Beckett," Castle said.

"See you tomorrow, Castle," I said.

It was dinner time and my aunt and I were eating pizza together.

"I have a writing assignment do on Friday. It's about someone who inspires me," I said to her.

"Really? Who are you going to write about?" She asked.

"Castle, I already asked him and he said it was okay. We're going to work on it together this weekend," I said to her.

"Cool. I can't wait to read it," she said.

"And the best paper in the entire third grade, will be in the New York Times," I said.

"Wow, that's awesome Emily. I hope you can win it," she said.

"Yeah, me too," I said.

"It's getting late. Time for bed and throw your trash away," Aunt Kate said.

"Okay. Night, Aunt Kate," I said as I threw away my trash.

"Night, Emily," She said.

* * *

The next day, I went to Castle's apartment right after breakfast. My aunt had to work, so she told me to be careful on the way to his place. I made it with no incidences and Castle greeted me cheerfully.

"Well you're here early," he said.

"I just want to make sure this paper's perfect," I said.

"All right, let's get started," he said.

We worked on the paper for ours, we even stopped for a sandwich break. So far, Castle's whole apartment was filled with crumpled up paper. I just couldn't figure out how to write this essay, but I was determined to get it right.

It started getting late and I was half way finished with the paper. It felt like this one was the best so far. I stretched my aching body and looked at the clock, it was half past 6:00pm and I was ready for dinner.

"Hey, your aunt called said she's still working. Want some Chinese food?" Castle asked as he walked into the room.

"Sure," I said.

We ordered Chinese and Castle's family and I all ate together. I got to know Castle, Alexis, and his mom even more than I did before. I liked this family, I always feel welcomed and I made a friend out of Alexis. Even though she's older than me, I feel pretty close. She's like a big sister to me.

We worked a little more on the paper after dinner and then Castle took me home. I think I'm making real progress on the paper and hopefully it's good enough to be in the paper.

Sunday flew by like it wasn't even there and Castle and I worked on my paper some more. We couldn't do as much as Saturday because had to do some other things, but we were still close to being done.

We finally finished the paper by Wednesday and even Castle felt like it was a good piece. He said it could possibly be one of the top papers for the contest. I seriously hoped it would because I think my aunt would appreciate it.

It was finally Friday and we all turned in our papers to Mrs. Chance. Throughout the whole school day, all of my classmates and I were rowdy. We were just anxious to find out who would be in the paper on Monday and since Monday was a holiday, we all got to see the paper because we'd be home. Blair, Henry, Leo, and I all discussed our papers and what we put in it.

* * *

Monday finally rolled around and my aunt took me to the precinct with her since she had to work. We walked into the precinct and everyone was smiling and praising Aunt Kate. She reached her desk and Esposito, Ryan, and Castle came up to her.

"What's going on?" she asked.

"You didn't read the paper yet?" Ryan asked.

"No," she said.

Esposito handed her a copy of The New York Times and she took it. Castle gave me a big grin and I returned it.

"My Inspiration by Emily Beckett Roswell

My name is Emily and I've kind of been through a lot since I was born. I was going to write this story on my friend, Richard Castle, the famous author. I thought he was cool because he was a writer, but when I really thought about it, I figured out I had someone better, my Aunt Kate. So this is about her and how she inspires me.

My Aunt is awesome, she's no super hero or famous person. She's just an ordinary women who happens to fight crime in the state of New York. Being a detective is hard work and comes with plenty of sacrifices. You work long hours and have to put your life on the line every day. Doing something like that, you have to have a lot of bravery.

Truth is I never really respected my aunt. I barely even knew her until five months ago when my mother died. Then after I was kidnapped I saw how much she really means to me and how much I mean to her. I knew she'd take on the world just to make sure I was safe and I'd do the same for her if I could.

In conclusion, my Aunt's definitely the top person in my heart. I don't need this paper to tell everyone my feelings about my Aunt Kate, I think you can figure it out by just looking at us. She makes me want to be like her one day and hopefully I could be a top detective in New York too.

This is for my Aunt Kate, the best thing that's ever came into my life and hopefully continues to stay. She's my true hero."

My Aunt Kate had tears running freely down her face. She was smiling so brightly that it looked kind of painful. She dropped down to eyelevel and pulled me into a giant hug.

"Emily, it was so beautiful. Is this what you really think?" she asked.

"Yeah, you're the closest person to me and a true inspiration," I said.

"Castle did you know?" she asked.

"Guilty. It was really hard for me to not say anything, but it was just too good. I kept the secret though," Castle said.

"Thanks, I'm just so surprised and shocked. Thank you, Emily," my aunt said.

"No problem Aunt Kate," I said.

"That was a really good paper. Brought Jenny to tears," Ryan said.

"Yeah, it was. Lanie told me she got a little teared up from it," Esposito said.

Captain Montgomery came out of his office and up to my aunt's desk.

"Nice paper young lady. It was very good. I'm giving your aunt the day off today, you two should spend the day together," the captain said.

"Really, Captain?" my aunt asked.

"Yes, Detective Beckett. Spend time with your niece," he said.

"Thanks, Captain. I will," she said.

We spent the rest of the day together just the two of us. We went to the movies, ate at my favorite restaurant, and got ice cream. I had fun with my Aunt Kate today and I wish we could have many more days like this.


	8. Chapter 8

AN:This is my second to last prewritten chapter. I have three more chapters in progress, and a lot more I just have to sort out and write. Also, depending on school I may start posting once a week, probably Friday's or Saturday's. Thank you again to everyone for following, favouring, and reviewing this story. Here's the next chapter everybody, enjoy. Don't forget to Review. :)

Disclaimer: I do not own Castle or it's characters.

* * *

Mini Detective Beckett (Part 1)

It was Friday and a teachers planning day, so we had the day off. My usual babysitters were busy today; Grandpa was out of town, Alexis was doing some kind of study thing, Castle's mom had a theater thing to do, and Castle was tagging along with us.

I got dressed in a black pant suit with a black dress shirt underneath. I matched it with my black boots I got for Christmas a few months ago. I walked out and my Aunt gave me a weird look.

"What?" I asked.

"What are you wearing?" Aunt Kate asked.

"A pant suit," I said.

"I know that, why?" she asked.

"I wanted to be like you today. I'm your shadow," I said.

My aunt was wearing a similar outfit, but had a white dress shirt on instead.

"No you're not. You are staying at the precinct and behaving," she said.

"Oh, come on Aunt Kate. Let me tag along. Don't people say if you start early, you have more knowledge," I said.

"If you want to start early, start hitting the books," Aunt Kate said.

"Okay, but I need some time on the field too," I said.

"Emily, we are not arguing about this. Come on we're already late," she said.

We headed to the precinct and arrived pretty quickly. As we walked off the elevator, Castle came up and greeted us.

"Hey, it's like a mini Beckett and a bigger Beckett," Castle said looking between us.

"Don't encourage her Castle," my aunt said.

"Aww, but it's adorable," he said.

My aunt gave him a pointed look and he backed off. We got to her desk and she moved some files over into a pile, and tried to organize her things a bit. The Captain walked up to us and said, "Detective Beckett. There was a homicide over in Manhattan. Meet Detective Ryan and Esposito down there."

"Yes, Captain. I'll get right on it," she said.

"Good and it's cute to see a mini Beckett. She almost looks like you detective," he said.

"Thanks, Captain," she said.

"No problem," The captain said.

Captain Montgomery left and we were ready to head off to the crime scene. I started following them towards the elevator when my aunt stopped me.

"Where do you think you're going?" my aunt asked me.

"To the crime scene with your," I said.

"No, you're not. I told you earlier you'd stay here," she said.

"Please, Aunt Kate. I'll behave, I promise," I said.

"Okay fine, but you stay in the car," she said.

"Aww, man," I said.

"It's either that or you stay here," she said.

"Fine," I said.

* * *

We arrived at the crime scene and I was stuck in the car with the windows rolled down a bit. I watched from the car the hustle and bustle of the NYPD. I so badly wanted to know what was going on.

Then it hit me, I wasn't locked in here and my aunt was all the way over at the crime scene, so I could leave the car. I unlocked my door and got out of the car. I shut the door behind me and walked over towards the scene.

Aunt Kate was talking to Lanie and Castle was watching the interaction with the two. No one was paying attention so I went under the crime scene tape and over to the victim where everyone was gathered around.

"Where's all the blood?" I asked.

"Emily! I told you to stay in the car," my aunt said.

"When have I ever listened?" I said.

"She has a point," Castle said.

"Castle, not helping," she said.

"Just saying," he shrugged.

"How'd he die?" I asked.

"He was injected with something. I'll know what when I get back to the morgue," Lanie said.

"How long has he been dead?" I asked.

"Um… From what I can tell, about three hours," she said.

"So the murder weapon was more than likely a syringe of some sort," I stated.

"Yeah, Esposito took it back to the precinct, making the lab get trace off of it," Lanie said.

"Cool," I said.

"Since when did you take over the case?" my aunt said.

"When I put on this suit and bought this badge," I said as I pulled out a fake plastic police badge.

"Where did you get that?" my aunt asked.

"At the dollar store for five bucks," I said with a shrug.

"Cool," Castle said.

"Hand it over," my aunt said reaching for it.

"Fine," I said, giving her the badge.

"I'm going to head back to the precinct. Let me know when you have anything," Aunt Kate said to Lanie.

"Will do, Kate," Lanie said.

We headed back to the precinct and when we got there, Ryan came up to us with some info.

"Okay, we identified our victim as 35 year old Harold Malone. He has a wife, Georgie Malone, who lives in Queens. He also owned a business a few blocks away from his home and his brother, Dirk Malone, is a Co-owner. Here's the addresses maybe you can check them out," Ryan said.

"Okay, Ryan get Esposito and find out if any cameras picked up something around the area where Mr. Malone was murdered," my aunt said.

"I'm on it," Ryan said.

I was about to head towards the elevator when I was grabbed by the arm. I looked up at my aunt and she had an irritated look on her face.

"Oh no, you are not coming. You disobeyed my orders earlier, so you're staying here. Sit and don't touch anything. We'll be back later," my aunt said.

I went to protest, but she was already heading off with Castle to the elevator. I sat in the seat next to my aunt's desk and huffed. It wasn't fair, I wanted to help and figure out the case.

* * *

After about thirty minutes of sitting there feeling sorry for myself, I did what any good detective would, I looked through my aunt's desk and tried to hack into her computer. All I found that was useful in my aunts desk was a magnifying glass, yes Sherlock Holmes is an awesome mentor. I sat at her desk chair and tried some different passwords in her computer system.

I tried about fifteen different passwords into her computer and each one was a bust. I almost gave up but then I thought of one more: JohannaB. I was hoping I was on the right track. The computer came up and displayed her home screen.

Yes, maybe one day I'll be an awesome detective. I flipped through some documents and police databases in the computer. I looked up the victim, his wife, and his brother in the police database but they were all pretty clean. Just petty theft and drunk and disorderly was some of their worst crimes.

I felt someone looking over me and I turned my head to see a very unhappy Aunt Kate.

"Hey, how's it going," I said with a cheeky smile.

"Emily Marie Beckett Roswell! How did you get onto my computer?" she asked.

"I cracked the code. Took me plenty of times, but I did it," I said.

"Off, now," my aunt said.

I got up and my aunt quickly logged off of her computer.

"Man, that kids smart. She really is a mini you, Beckett," Castle said.

"Yes, she's too smart for her own good. She just needs to learn to stay out of things," she said.

"I'm sorry. I just wanted to help," I said.

"Don't help, Emily. Cases like these we can't afford a mishap. So I need you to behave and stay out of the way," he said.

"Fine," I said sadly.

My aunt's phone rang and she picked it up.

"Hey Lanie. You have something… Great I'll be down in a few… Bye," my aunt said.

She hung up and said to Castle, "Lanie found what was in MR. Malone's system."

"Great," Castle said.

"Can I come," I said.

"No," she said.

"It's just the morgue. What trouble could she get into down there?" Castle said.

"I'm sure she could figure out something," she said.

"I promise I'll stay out the way and behave," I said.

"Fine, come on," she said.

* * *

We were in the morgue looking over Harold Malone's dead body. It wasn't my first time in the morgue, but the smell still made my stomach turn.

"Okay I found out what was in his system. It was poison from a Taipan snake," Lanie said.

"Snake venom. Who carries snake venom with them?" my aunt said.

"Who knows? Anyway, it's not just any snake venom, it's one of the most deadliest. The venom consists of taipoxin, a complex mix of neurotoxins, procoagulants, and myotoxins that paralyze muscles, inhibit breathing, cause hemorrhaging in blood vessels and tissues, and damage muscles. If he was injected with a high dosage of the venom it could have taken about 45 minutes for him to succumb to it," she said.

"Is there an anti-venom for the snake?" Castle asked.

"There is, but since it's most relevant in Australia, we don't have a large supply on hand in America. Even if he got to a hospital, the amount I found in his blood was extremely high. Who knows if the effects would have been reversed," Lanie said.

"Wow, that's a horrible way to go," Castle said.

"Yeah," Lanie said.

Aunt Kate's phone rang once again and she quickly answered it.

"What's up Esposito? You've got to be kidding me, we just talked to him almost two hours ago. He's at the hospital… Okay, I'll go see what I can find…Bye," she said.

She promptly hung up her phone and everyone awaited the news she just received.

"Dirk Malone was just brought to the emergency room. He was showing symptoms of snake venom in his system," she said.

It was silent for a while, I think this case got a whole lot crazier.


	9. Chapter 9

AN:Thank you again to everyone for following, favouring, and reviewing this story. Here's the next chapter everybody, enjoy. Don't forget to Review. :)

Disclaimer: I do not own Castle or it's characters.

* * *

Mini Detective Beckett (Part 2)

I was able to tag along to the hospital this time because I promised to not get into any trouble. We were standing outside Dirk's hospital room and my aunt was conversing with the doctor. Castle was with her and trying to come up with a logical explanation for everything.

I decided to go in and look at the patient. I took out the magnifying glass I still had and snooped around his hospital room. First I checked Dirk for any kind of skin or fibers under the nail or in his hair. I found nothing at all.

Then I decided to check his clothes for anything suspicious. I only found one thing that looked promising which was a long piece of blond hair. That clue got me nowhere it could be anyone. I put the hair back where I found it and went out to the hall.

"Where were you?" my aunt asked.

"No, where," I said.

"Is that a magnifying glass in your hand?" she asked.

"Maybe," I said.

"Give it," she said.

I handed it over reluctantly and she placed it in her jacket pocket.

"Where did you get it anyway," she asked.

"In one of your drawers at the precinct," I said.

"Figures," she said as she shook her head.

"She's a little Sherlock Holmes," Castle said.

"Do you want to be my Watson?" I asked him.

"I'd love too, but I'm kind of taken by this grumpy detective," he said.

"I'm not grumpy," my aunt said.

"Nope, not at all," he said.

I giggled at Castle and my aunt gave us both glares.

"Oh my god, Dirk," a blond woman with blond hair yelled as she ran towards the room.

"Calm, down Mrs. Malone. Dirk is getting the anti-venom injected into his system. Thankfully there was not a lot of venom in his system. He should be okay," my aunt said.

"I just can't lose him. I already lost my husband, I can't lose his brother too," she said.

"He'll be fine. The doctors are on it and they're getting more supplies of the anti-venom later tonight," my aunt said.

"Thank god," Mrs. Malone said.

"Beckett, Castle, come here for a sec," Esposito said.

"Don't move. We'll be right back," my aunt said to me.

I stayed put and watched Mrs. Malone look at Dirk's body crying annoyingly. She eventually stepped out pushing past me roughly. What a jerk I know she just lost her husband and maybe her husband's brother but she didn't have to be mean.

I followed her down the hall and watched her take out her phone and dial a number. Then it hit me her hair was blond like the one I found on Dirk's close. I mean they've could have been comforting each other, but still it's a little suspicious.

"Hey, he's not dead. Someone found him and now he's in the hospital…I need more of that venom… I don't care how much it cost, I'll get the money… If he wakes up I'm going to go to jail… You'll have it by tonight… Great, I'll be able to finish him off before they get the rest of the anti-venom… see you later, and have it ready," she said and hung up.

I hid myself from you and watched her walk away towards an exit. I quickly ran to my Aunt Kate to tell her what I heard. When I got to her I pulled on her arm to get her attention.

"I'm talking, Em. Not right now," she said.

"It's important, I…" I started.

"If it's about this case, I don't want to hear it. I told you not to play your detective game anymore. Just behave like I told you too," she said.

"But it's the killer I know who it is," I said.

"Emily, sit down. You've been a distraction all day. I'm sending you with Castle. You can hang out at his place," she said.

"Come on, Emily. Let's give your aunt a break for the day. We could have some pizza," Castle said.

"Fine," I said sadly.

I finally broke the case and now Dirk could possibly die because my aunts so fed up with me. I guess I'm not as good of a detective as I thought.

* * *

Castle and I were eating our pizza quietly at his kitchen counter. I couldn't take my mind off of what I heard and no one wanted to listen to what I had to say. It was getting late and I knew it would be a matter of hours before Dirk was going to die.

"Why so glum, mini Beckett?" Castle asked.

"No one wants to listen to me," I said.

"Hey, your aunt was just trying to figure out the case. Once this is over, it'll be all good. Just give your aunt a break from time to time, she needs it. Plus I'm always opened to listen," Castle said.

"I guess so. Thing is I overheard Mrs. Malone on the phone talking about how she needed more venom and that Dirk wasn't dead like she planned. She said he knows. Which I interpreted that she killed Harold and Dirk knew, so she tried to kill him. She's going to finish him off tonight," I said.

"Wait, Mrs. Malone said all this?" Castle said.

"Yes, and if we don't get to that hospital fast, Dirks going to die," I said.

"Why didn't you say anything?" he said.

"I tried," I said.

"Right, I forgot," he said.

"We have to call Aunt Kate," I said.

"I'm on it," Castle said.

Castle tried dialing my aunt's number numerous times but she never picked up. He left her about a dozen voicemails about what I told him.

"We have to get to the hospital Castle. We have to stop it," I said.

"We shouldn't," he said.

"Come on Watson, if we don't do this Dirk could die," I said.

"Fine, we can do this. Let's go Sherlock," he said.

* * *

We headed to the hospital at a zooming pace. It only took us about fifteen minutes to get there. We headed to Dirks room and thankfully he was still resting peacefully and there was no sign of Mrs. Malone.

"You sure your right?" Castle asked.

"I'm positive. I know what I heard. You stay in Dirks room and keep an eye on him. I'll go patrol the hall to see if there is any sign of Mrs. Malone," I said.

"Okay," he said.

He took watch inside Dirks room and I looked up and down the hall to make sure she wasn't coming. A few minutes later I saw her walking down the hall towards the room.

She was wearing a nurse's uniform and holding the syringe in her hand. If she had a patch on her eye and was whistling I'd swear I was in a scene from that crazy movie I saw with my mama called "Kill Bill".

"Don't you come near him! You're under arrest," I said.

"Aren't you cute, but a little girl isn't going to foil my plans," she said.

"I'm not going to let an innocent man die, so if you want him you have to go through me," I said getting close to her.

I heard Castle scream at me to get back. It was too late, when she caught a glimpse of him with me, she stuck the syringe into the corner of my left eye by the nose. I screamed in pain as it plunged deep into my skin tissue. She injected the venom and Castle tried to grab her.

She broke free and ran down the hall trying to get away. I felt my body burn with the venom pulsing through my veins. I felt hot and cold at the same time, my body felt numb and heavy. The syringe was still imbedded into my skin, but I could barely feel it as the numbness spread.

I heard Castle calling my name and telling me to hold on. He picked me up and carried me out to the front desk of the floor we were on, which was the ICU. I heard him screaming that he needed help and that I was injected with venom.

He helped the doctors and nurses place me onto the stretcher. My body felt like a rag doll and I couldn't feel a thing. Doctors were shouting and nurses were running. I heard my Aunt Kates voice come into earshot. She was sobbing uncontrollably and Castle was holding her back because the doctors were trying to take me to a room to get some anti-venom and remove the syringe.

The last thing I saw and heard before I succumbed to the darkness was my aunt Kate on her knees with Castle trying to comfort her.

* * *

I groaned as pain flared throughout my body. I think I liked it better when I was numb. I looked around the hospital room and found that I could only see through one eye. I lifted my right hand up to my left eye and felt a gauze patch covering it.

I let out a happy sigh that I wasn't blind I just had a patch over it. I heard footsteps coming towards me and I looked over to see my Aunt Kate with a smile on her face.

"I'm so happy you're awake," my aunt said.

"How long was I out?" I asked with a groggy voice.

"Almost a week," she said sadly.

"A week," I said softly.

"Here," My aunt said handing me a cup of water.

I drank it like a greedily and finished the whole cup within seconds. Guess I was pretty thirsty from being out for a week.

"How does your eye feel?" Aunt Kate asked.

"It hurts a little bit," I said.

"You're pain medication is probably numbing most of the pain, so it'll hurt a little," she said.

"Oh," I said.

"Hey, mini Sherlock is awake," castle said as he came in with some coffee.

He handed my aunt one of the cups of coffee and she gave her thanks.

"Emily," my aunt said.

"Yes," I said.

"I'm sorry for not listening to you. You figured the case out, with some luck, but you did. I'm also proud of you for being brave enough to stop Mrs. Malone," she said.

"It was nothing. Any true detective would have sacrificed themselves to save someone. Did you catch her?" I said.

"Ryan and Esposito found her trying to flee in the parking lot. She's going to be going away for a very long time," Aunt Kate said.

"They couldn't have done it without you. You're a true hero Emily," Castle said with a smile.

"Yes, you are. And Captain Montgomery gave me this to give to you when you woke up, a certificate from the precinct for your bravery and this pendent," my aunt Kate said as she handed it to me.

I looked at the certificate and it said this award is to honor Emily Marie Beckett Roswell for her heroism and bravery in the state of New York. My name was written in bold cursive font on the line provided. It was awesome and the Captain and the mayor even signed it. I looked at the pendant which was a golden color and had the word hero etched into it.

"This is so cool," I said.

"Yes it is," my aunt said.

There was a knock by my door way and we looked over towards it. There was a man in a wheelchair who I recognized was Dirk. He rolled his way over to us and stopped by my bed side.

"I wanted to thank the person who saved me," Dirk said.

"Go ahead," my aunt said smiling.

"Hi there, Emily. I heard you saved me from Georgie finishing me off. Thank you for sacrificing yourself for me. You didn't have to and I appreciate it," he said.

"It's no problem Mr. Malone. I couldn't let an innocent man die, not on my watch," I said.

"You are one brave kid. You have a good kid here detective Beckett, she's going to be very powerful one day. I also would like to offer you a free toy of your choice at my brother and I's toy shop. It's the least I could do for you saving my life," Dirk said.

"Awesome, thanks Mr. Malone," I said.

"It's not a problem. Like I said, it's the least I can do," he said.

"Thank you, Dirk. We really appreciate that," my aunt said.

"It's all right, but I'd also like to ask you out on a date some time for your help also," he said with a small smile.

Castle's eyebrows shot to the top of his head, I think he was just as surprised as me.

My aunt bit her lip with a small smile and said, "I'd like that."

"Great, I'll see you guys later," he said.

"You're going to go out with Dirk?" Castle asked.

"Why not? He seems like a nice guy. I haven't been on a date for almost a year," My aunt said.

"I don't know, I just didn't expect it," he said shrugging his shoulders.

"Why? Are you jealous," my aunt said laughing at him.

"No, I'm not jealous. I'm seeing someone kind of," he said.

"Uh-huh," my aunt said.

"Yep," he said.

It was silent and I broke it by saying, "Um… I hate to break this weird moment, but I'm starving."

"Oh sorry, Em. Guess after being in a coma for a weak you'd be hungry," my aunt said.

I got some food and soon after I fell back to sleep because of the drugs I had in my system.

I stayed in the hospital for about another week to make sure all my body functions were working and my eye was healing. I had to where a patch over my eye after I got out, they said I'd where it for about a month so it doesn't get infected.

Everyone from the precinct praised me for my bravery and called me a little hero, it was awesome. Maybe one day I'll become as good as a detective as my aunt.


	10. Chapter 10

AN: Yay! I pumped out two new chapters, one for today and one for tomorrow. Thank you everyone for following, favouring, and reviewing this story. Here's the next chapter everybody, enjoy! Don't forget to Review. :)

Disclaimer: I do not own Castle or it's characters.

* * *

Stray Dog

I was walking home from school and I heard a commotion going on in an alley. I decided to check it out and saw a brown dog stuck in a trash can and trying to wiggle himself out. He kept running into the wall and the big garbage bin while trying to get out.

I tried to get him out and I pulled the trash can off the dogs head. He shook his body and let out a small bark, which I assumed was a thank you. He came over to me and jumped up on to my shoulders. He licked me and I got doggy slobber on my face.

"Okay Boy. No need to thank me," I said.

The big dog sat down and rubbed his head that was almost as big as mine against my leg. I petted him and he rubbed up closer to me.

"Come on, I'll take you home with me," I said to him.

My aunt probably wouldn't be pleased with me bringing a dog into the apartment, but he's just so cute. My new companion and I arrived at my house and the first thing he did was jumped onto the couch.

"No down, my aunt will kill me if you get dirt and slobber on the couch," I said to him

He whimpered and jumped off the couch.

"I should give you a bath," I said to him.

I set up a bubble bath in the bathroom and waited for the tub to fill with warm water. Once it was finished, I pulled the dog into the bathroom and told him to hop in. He obeyed and jumped into the tub making some of the water slosh out and onto the floor.

"I should name you, everyone needs a name. How about, Dixon," I said while I cleaned him.

He let out a bark and wagged his tail, making more water splash around.

"Dixon it is," I said laughing.

I started cleaning him up and getting every spot I could reach. The dog started getting restless and he jumped out of the tub. I left the door opened and he bolted out running through the place soaking wet.

"Dixon, Stop!" I said.

He stopped all right and jumped onto the couch rolling around.

"I'm so dead," I said.

I tried to clean up the best I could but every time I finished one part, there be another. By the time my Aunt Kate was supposed to go home, the apartment looked like it was hit by a tornado. My aunt finally arrived and the look on her face as she walked through the door was not a good one.

"Um… I can explain," I said.

"Please do," she said looking around, assessing the damage.

"Dixon, was alone and I brought him home. Then I gave him a bath and he kind of tore up the place," I said.

"Who's Dixon?" my aunt asked.

Dixon barked and ran towards my aunt, jumping up on her and licking her face.

"Emily! You took in a dog," she said as she tried to push him off of her.

"Yeah," I said guiltily.

"He's going to the pound first thing tomorrow," she said.

"But Aunt Kate. If he's in the pound and no one rescues him, they'll kill him," I said.

"Not my problem, Emily. I cannot keep this dog," she said.

"No," I whined.

"It's final. Your helping me clean this mess up," she said.

I spent the whole night begging Aunt Kate to let me keep, Dixon. She kept trying to make me drop it, but I couldn't, I wanted him to stay. When she got a look at the bathroom and tub I was really in for it. She grounded me for a week and I was angry, but I guess I deserved it.

* * *

The next day, Aunt Kate took Dixon to the local pound. I gave him a big hug and long goodbye before she practically pried us apart and took him away. I spent the day crying that it wasn't fair. The whole day I ignored Aunt Kate and gave her one word answers.

Aunt told me I was being childish, but I didn't care, I practically am still a child. She sent me to bed after dinner and I sat in bed thinking about Dixon. Then it hit me, I could break him out. I got dressed and made sure I had my special bobby pin and wire to break into the pound. I snuck out my window and headed to the pound.

When I got there no one was there because it was closed, of course. I looked in the back of the pound, in search of a back door. I found one and started to pick the locks. I finally got it unlocked and opened the door.

Thankfully, the back door led right to the kennel and you could hear the dogs barking. I looked for a light switch and I found one which was lose to the door to the office area. Once the lights illuminated the room, I was able to see where Dixon was.

When I located his cage, he perked up and barked at me.

"Hey Dixon, I missed you. We have to leave because I'm pretty sure I set off an alarm," I said.

He barked again and I quickly opened his cage and had him follow me. We ran out of the building and back towards my place. There was no way I'd be able to get him up the fire escape, so I decided to break in through the front door, hopefully Aunt Kate is asleep.

I started picking the lock and the door opened suddenly. I looked up and saw Aunt Kate looking extremely livid.

"Um… I can explain, again," I said.

"In the apartment now!" she yelled at me.

I walked into the apartment with Dixon following behind me and waited for the lecture.

"Sit now," my aunt said, pointing to the couch.

I sat and Dixon stayed by my legs.

"I can't believe you broke into the pound. You're lucky no one caught you, Em. This could be on your juvenile record, breaking and entering, stealing. I'm really disappointed in you," she said.

"I'm sorry," I said.

"Sorry doesn't cut it, Emily. You start to behave and then you slip up. You need to start being consistent and get your act together, before this starts catching up with you," she said.

"It's not fair," I said.

"Life isn't fair, go to your room. Tomorrow he goes back to the pound and stays," she said.

"Fine," I mumbled.

I went to my room with Dixon following me closely. I sat on my bed with Dixon and I held him close. I cried silently into his fur wishing I could keep him.

"We don't need to take this, Dixon. We can live by ourselves," I said.

I got my backpack and dumped out my school supplies. I grabbed some clothes and other things and packed it all up. I watched the crack of the door closely, listening and waiting to make sure Aunt Kate was asleep.

Once I felt all was clear, we quietly snuck out of the house. We walked down the street playing together and having fun. I found a small underpass where Dixon and I were going to stay the night. We sat together and I was cuddling with him.

I heard growls coming from deep within Dixon and I looked around, but saw nothing.

"What is it boy?" I asked.

Then two big dogs with sharp teeth came out of the shadows and snarled at us. I was frightened, but Dixon stood his ground and waited for the two bigger dogs to make their move. It was a long standoff, but one of the dogs finally made a move and lunged at Dixon. I tried to stay as far away as possible, but I wanted to help Dixon.

The other came up and started tussling with him two. Dixon was fighting them off pretty well though. I heard snarls, whimpering, and loud thuds while they fought. Eventually it ended and both dogs limped off and whimpered.

I ran over to Dixon and saw he was hurt too. He had blood on his coat which was quickly becoming a dark crimson color. He laid down and tried to lick his wound.

"Don't worry Dixon. I'll find some help," I said.

I climbed out of the overpass and looked for help. Then what I saw coming was both good and bad, my Aunt Kate's vehicle. She stopped her car once she saw me and quickly jumped out.

"Emily, are you okay, what's wrong?" She asked when she saw me.

"Dixon's hurt. He saved me from two big dogs and now he's injured," I cried.

"Bring me to him," she said.

I took her towards where we were and she gasped at the sight. He was panting heavily and if we didn't get him help soon he'd be dead.

"Help me take him to the car," she said.

I grabbed my backpack throwing it on and then I helped my aunt take Dixon to the car. We got him into the backseat and I sat in the front. We went to a close animal hospital that was open 24 hours. We rushed him in and they took him to an operating room right away.

Aunt Kate and I waited in the waiting room until sun up and by the time they finished it was 7:00 am. The doctor came out and said, "We have some good news."

"Really? Is he going to be okay?" I asked.

"Yep he's going to be just fine. Had a broken paw, deep gash, but he'll heal," the doctor said.

"Yay," I said.

"Come on Emily let go home. They'll find a nice home for him," Aunt Kate said.

"Yes we will," the doctor said.

"Can I at least say goodbye?" I asked.

"Okay, is she allowed?" my aunt asked.

"Yes you can say goodbye," the doctor said.

The doctor led me to the back and opened the cage up for me. I bent down and patted Dixon on the head. They left me alone so I could say goodbye in peace.

"Goodbye, Dixon. You're the best dog ever and a hero just like me. I wish I can keep you, but I can't. You're going to make a family very happy. Bye, Dixon," I said.

My Aunt was standing in the door way and smiled at me. I smiled back and walked towards her.

"Let's go home and sleep," she said.

The doctor went in behind us to close the cage door and we left the building.

On our way home we aunt Kate started speaking, "That was a very sweet goodbye Emily."

"Thanks," I said.

"I know you really liked him, but my apartment doesn't want dogs and I can't handle a dog right now. I can barely handle you, but I'm glad he protected you and you are safe," she said.

"I understand. Am I still grounded," I asked.

"Oh yeah. After these two stunts you pulled you're now grounded for a month," she said.

"A month," I whined.

"Do want to make it two?" she asked.

"I'll stick with one thanks," I said.

"Good," she said.

We got home and I quickly conked out in my room after the long day I had. Maybe one day I'll persuade my aunt into getting a dog.


	11. Chapter 11

AN:Thank you again to everyone for following, favouring, and reviewing this story. Here's the next chapter everybody, enjoy. Don't forget to Review. :)

Disclaimer: I do not own Castle or it's characters.

* * *

Spending time with Castle and Alexis

My Aunt Kate was on a major case and Castle was not allowed to be on it because of some kind of stipulation with the FBI. Anyway, I'm here at Castle's place and going to be for at least two days. I'm not complaining Castle is awesome and we have so much fun together. Alexis was here to and we were playing some video games on the television.

After about four hours of video games it was time for dinner.

"Okay guys, Chinese, Pizza, or Mexican?" Castle asked.

"Well, not Mexican. Remember the last time we had Mexican?" Alexis said.

"Ugh, yeah. Two days of practically living in the bathroom," he said.

They both made sounds of disgust and shook their head.

"All right, but since Emily is our guest what do you want?" Castle asked.

"Pizza," I said.

"Okay, Pizza it is. What do we want on?" he asked.

"Sausage," Alexis said.

"Okay, onions?" he asked.

"Sure," Alexis said.

"How about you mini Beckett. Sound good?" he asked me.

"Yeah, sounds great," I said.

He nodded his head and went to order the Pizza. It took about fifteen minutes to arrive and we all dug in. We each had two pieces of pizza and then Alexis and I shared one, while Castle ate another whole piece. After Dinner we were all stuffed and lounged around in the living room.

We watched movies and talked about certain things. It was great hanging out it made me feel a part of the family. If my mama was still alive I'd probably home alone right now eating left over ramen noodles and watching whatever channel are sucky TV could pick up.

"Hey Emily, do you want to play laser tag with us?" Alexis asked after we finally digested our food.

"You have laser tag?" I asked surprised.

"Yeah, it's really cool. Alexis and I have been doing it for years now. We're trying to get to 1000 points to win entirely," Castle said.

"Awesome I'd love too. If it's okay," I said.

"Of course it's okay. I have an extra vest and gun. Plus, you're like family, it be an honor to play with you mini Beckett," he said.

"Cool, thanks Castle," I said.

"No problem," he said.

"I'll go get the stuff," Alexis said.

Next thing you know we're going into our thirty minute mark of playing laser tag. The vest is a little big on me, but not too bad. I was currently in the living room sneaking around the couch. I tried to incorporate some police tactics to set up my attack on my "enemies".

I stayed low and listened closely to any weird sound around my area. I kept my ears and eyes open and made sure I had a clear vision of everything. I adjusted my laser tag glasses because they were kind of crooked and I heard a small noise. I perked up and tried to hear where it was coming from.

It seemed like it was around the corner, so I readied myself to take action. I slowly creeped over to the area and saw Castle looking around, determining his next move. I quickly readied my laser gun and jumped out of my hiding spot. I shot him and his vest buzzed with a laser sound.

"Aww man," Castle said slumping his shoulders.

Then out of nowhere my vest buzzed with the same sound and I saw Alexis come out from behind Castles office door.

"Nice one," I said.

"Thank you," she said.

Castle looked over at the clock and saw it was almost 11:00pm.

"Oh geez, I didn't know it was that late and it's a school night. If your aunt found out, she'd kill me," Castle said.

"She probably would," Alexis and I said in unison.

We laughed at that and we all took off our laser tag equipment. I was sleeping in Alexis's room, in my small pink sleeping bag and said, "Alexis?"

"Yeah," she said.

"I like it here, you guys are fun and nice," I said.

"Yeah, but sometimes it can get boring after a while. Having fun is nice and all, but all the time is not really good," she said.

"Yeah I know, but it's better than when I used to live with my mama," I said.

"Was it really that bad?" she asked.

"Mostly, yeah. Drug dealers everywhere and some bringing us my mama's fix for the week. Barely got any cable and it was hard to get out of the house sometimes. My mama rarely hit me, but sometimes her boyfriends would. For the most part, I'm glad I'm out of there and I get to see what a real family is," I said.

"I'm sorry, Emily. I'm glad you're here too. It's like I have a little sister, and just know you can come to me whenever you want, okay?" she said.

"Okay, thank you Alexis," I said.

"No problem. Get some sleep, school tomorrow," she said.

"Night, Alexis," I said.

"Night, Emily," she said.

We got some sleep and the next day came and went quickly. I had a boring day at school and Alexis helped me with my homework. Afterword while castle was still writing his next story, I let Alexis braid my hair. It was fun actually doing some kind of girlish things and just having a "sister" bonding time.

Right after having some dinner my aunt Kate came to pick me up. The whole way home I couldn't help but spill every detail about the two days I had with Alexis and Castle. My aunt was smiling the whole time I rambled on about my time at their place. When we got home my aunt said that maybe sometimes I could spend time over their just to have some fun and I liked that suggestion more than anything.

When I went to bed last night I couldn't stop thinking about all the fun I had and that maybe my life is really looking up from how it was a while ago.


	12. Chapter 12

AN:Thank you again to everyone for following, favouring, and reviewing this story. Here's the next chapter everybody, enjoy. Don't forget to Review. :)

Disclaimer: I do not own Castle or it's characters.

* * *

I Feel Very Blah!

For the second day in a row I missed school and was snuggled deep in my sheets, yet I was still shivering like crazy. I was clammy and my nose was as red as Rudolph's. I could barely breathe and every time I tried, I'd wheeze and cough for what seemed like hours, but probably only a minute or two.

My Aunt Kate came in to check on me and put the thermometer in my mouth. After a few seconds it beeped and my aunt checked the temperature.

"103, it spiked during the night. The doctor said two table spoons of the prescription, if it spiked," she said mostly to herself.

I groaned thinking of the nasty red liquid medicine I had to take.

"I know, Em. But you have to take it in order to get better. I'll go make some soup and you could eat that after your medicine," she said.

I nodded and watched her walk off and out of my room. My nose started to drip and I pulled out my hundredth Kleenex today alone. I blew into the tissue and was disgusted at the colors coming from my nose. I threw it in my waste basket which looked like a giant mountain peak.

I think I fell back to sleep because next thing I know my aunt is standing over me and waking me up. I woke up wearily and found a spoon with red liquid being held out.

"Here, take this and then eat your soup. Then you can rest some more," she said.

I grumbled out an okay and took the medicine warily, yet with haste so I didn't have to taste it too much. I made a disgusted face after it went down and my aunt gave a little chuckle. She placed the spoon in the tray, which she placed on my bed after I finished my nasty medicine. The chicken noodle soup in front of me was steaming and ready to be eaten by me.

I was so hungry, but usually once I start eating I wanted to throw it all up. My aunt left the room and I ate in silence. I ate slowly and savored the warm liquid broth as it coated my aching throat. Once I finished it, I drank the cold orange juice my aunt brought with the soup.

I started coughing again and this time it wouldn't let up, it felt like I was going to cough up a lung. My eyes were bleary and I could barely see. My aunt rushed in and patted my back soothingly to help get whatever it was out of my system.

Once I finally calmed down a bit, my aunt started rubbing small circles around my back to help me relax.

"You okay?" she asked.

I nodded, still in no shape to speak. She put the back of her hand to my forehead and then to the back of my neck.

"Well, you're not as warm as earlier. Which is definitely a good sign. Just get some rest and you should start feeling a little better tomorrow," she said.

She took the tray away and turned out my light. I quickly fell asleep and it was finally a decent sleep without me waking up every hour or two coughing or sneezing. I woke up the next day feeling way better than the last two and a half days.

Thankfully, my aunt reduced my dosage of the medicine since I was starting to recover. I was able to eat a little more solid food and drink some grape juice. I was so happy I was getting better because being sick is definitely not fun, but who says it is.

Then by the next day my temperature was finally at its normal number and I was able to at least get out of bed for more than just the bathroom. Aunt Kate was great at taking care of me, honestly she was way better than my mama. Usually when I was sick, either my mama wouldn't even be home or she'd be drugged up, but only once did she actually treat me like a parent should when their child is sick.

"Thank you Aunt Kate," I said while curled up on the couch.

"No problem, Emily. I can't leave my sick niece uncared for when she's sick," she said.

"Yeah, but this is definitely one of the best times I've been taken care of while being sick," I said.

It was silent for a bit, but my aunt broke it, "Sometimes I wish you didn't have to suffer through that, but at least you don't have to anymore."

"Yeah," I said.

We spent the rest of the night hanging out together and talking about everything and anything we could think of. I loved spending time like this with my aunt, it sucks that it had to be because I was sick, but I'll take it.


	13. Chapter 13

AN:Thank you again to everyone for following, favouring, and reviewing this story. Here's the next chapter everybody, enjoy. Don't forget to Review. :)

Disclaimer: I do not own Castle or it's characters.

* * *

I didn't find Waldo, but I did find Someone

I was walking to school today, well riding my skate board, and decided to cut through the park. Sometimes it was fun taking the scenic route, also I feel this way goes faster than traveling through the streets.

I came up to one part of the park where there's a gigantic bush that grows beautiful irises. It was my favorite bush out of the whole park, but today something was different. There was a foot sticking out from behind it.

I wondered why no one has noticed it, but usually at this time of the day there aren't many civilians around. I decided to investigate and see if it was a homeless man just taking a nap behind the bush. I went around the bush and saw a man dressed very suave and in business attire.

He was definitely not homeless and he was definitely not taking a nap. According to his super pale skin, I'd guess he's probably dead. It's cold out here but not that cold. Just to make sure my calculations were correct I tapped the guy's foot with my own. After a minute without a reaction, I deducted that my assumption was correct.

Now here comes the hard part, how do I call the cops? I don't have a cell phone, and its 2011, where am I going to find a payphone close to the scene. Thankfully I noticed a jogger around my aunt's age coming this way. I would think she'd have a cell phone, especially since she had earphones in her ears.

I came out from the bush and flagged down the jogger. She slowed down and took out her earphones.

"What's wrong? Are you lost?" she asked.

"No not lost ma'am, but I need to use your cell phone," I said.

"What for?" she asked looking skeptical.

"There's a dead body behind that bush, my aunts a detective. I can call her and let her know," I said.

She laughed at me and I kept my serious facial expression.

"You're serious?" she asked looking a little nervous.

"Go take a look if you don't believe me," I said hitching a thumb towards the bush.

She went behind the bush timidly and the next thing that came out of the lady's mouth was a high pitched scream made for any horror movie.

"Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God," she kept saying.

"Calm down, ma'am. We need to call this in," I said.

"How… How are you so calm?" she asked.

"This is not my first body, like I said my aunts a detective," I said.

She nodded and said, "Here take my phone and I'm going to go over there and get some fresh air."

She gave me her phone and quickly walked over to the other side of the walk way, where she started puking in the trash can. I quickly looked away from her, letting her have some privacy to up chuck. I dialed my Aunt Kate's number and it rang twice before I heard the phone click to signal she answered.

"Detective Beckett, who is this?" she asked suspiciously.

"Aunt Kate it's me, Emily," I said.

"Emily? Whose phone is this?" she asked.

"Some lady in the park," I said.

"Why aren't you at school?" she asked.

"Instead of beating around the bush," I snickered to my self-making a horrible pun, "I found a dead body."

"A dead body?" she asked.

"Yeah, he looks pretty wealthy if you ask me," I said.

"Are you sure he's dead?" she asked.

"Well I tapped his foot a few times and he's pretty pale. Also the smell he's emitting makes it pretty clear he's dead," I said.

"Great just great, I'll tell the captain and you stay put," she said.

"Rodger that, I'll clear the scene and make sure no one goes near the body," I said.

"Have you been watching those cop shows again?" she asked.

"Maybe," I said.

"Emily just stay away from the body, don't touch it, and just don't cause any trouble," she said.

"Me trouble? Believe me Aunt Kate this scene is safe in my hands. I'll make sure it's secure and I'll keep the onlookers at a minimal," I said.

"Emily Marie…" my aunt started before I promptly hung up.

Well that went well, I looked around and saw it was still me and that jogger. The jogger looked a little better not as pale as earlier. She finally got her composure and made her way over to me. I handed her the phone and she took it.

"What did your aunt say?" she asked.

"She said she was going to tell her captain and that her team and uniformed officers will arrive shortly. Meanwhile, you can help me keep this location secure and try to keep on lookers to a minimal. We cannot let the scene get compromised," I said.

"You watch too many cop dramas kid," she said.

"So I've heard," I said with a small smile.

About fifteen minutes later my aunt, Castle, Esposito, Lanie, and uniformed officers arrived. Uniformed police secured the scene and put crime tape around the area. Thankfully there weren't too many on lookers who came by, but as soon as the cops arrived, the number rose steadily.

Esposito was taking a statement from the jogger and I was with my aunt.

"How'd you find the body?" she asked.

"Well, I was cutting through the park to get to school, but I always check out this bush because it's my favorite. I saw his foot sticking out from the side and I went to investigate. When I noticed the man was not responding to my attempt to wake him, I knew for sure he was deceased," I said.

"Emily stop using large words you probably can't even spell," my aunt said.

"I can spell," I said.

"Spell, deceased," she said.

"Um… D-E-C-E, Decea…, D-E-C-E-A-S-E-D," I finished.

"Huh, she's good," Castle said chuckling.

"Okay maybe that one was a little easy. Still Emily, just be a kid," she said.

"I'll try, but what is the real definition of being a kid. It's hard being a kid after everything that I've been through," I said.

"Yeah I know, but sometimes I wish you'd just be young. Most kids would run screaming from such a horrific sight, yet you stop to investigate and try to talk in police jargon," she said.

"Well at least I don't know the codes, than I'd be super unstoppable," I said.

My aunt groaned and shook her head at me. I'm guessing she's giving up on making me act like a child.

"Hey, don't be too hard on her Beckett. Alexis usually acts like an adult, most of the time she's the one taking care of me. Sometimes acting like an adult at a young age really comes in handy down the road," Castle said.

"I guess so," she said.

Esposito made his way over to us and said, "Well the jogger really didn't know too much. She said she probably wouldn't have even known there was someone dead behind the bush if Emily didn't flag her down."

"Great no witnesses. Let's go see what Lanie has so far," she said.

We made our way over to where Lanie was examining the body.

"Do you notice anything, Lanie?" my Aunt Kate asked.

"Honestly not really. I'll know more once I get him to the morgue, but he does have skin under his fingertips, but the struggle doesn't seem to be mugging related," she said.

"How comes?" my aunt asked.

"Still has wallet, Rolex watch, and cash," she said.

"Well if they weren't robbing him, why would they kill a wealthy man in the middle of the park?" My aunt rambled off.

"Maybe, he was up to more than we know. A lot of rich people have hidden agendas in their secret lives," Castle said.

We all looked at Castle with a raised brow.

"Don't look at me like that. I don't fit in that category, my life is perfectly normal," Castle said.

"Perfectly normal," my aunt said.

"Okay, semi-normal. At least I'm not on the crazy spectrum," he said.

We all looked at him again with the same expression as before.

"Hey!" he said.

We all laughed and eventually Castle joined in too. Eventually we cleared the scene and headed back to the precinct. They ran the prints of the victim and found out his name was, Joey Florence. He was a CEO at a local company and was pretty much swimming in cash. He was also known as a well-known bachelor around New York.

They had a picture of him on the investigation board and trying to figure out why a guy like him was in the middle of the park at night.

"Hey we checked out Joey's phone and found three phone calls placed all rund the same time of his death," Ryan said.

"Two numbers came from the same cell phone in the Bronx area, the other number came from a landline in Manhattan," Esposito aid.

"Do you have the addresses?" MY aunt asked.

"Yeah right here," Esposito said.

"Okay Castle and I will check out the Bronx and you two check out Manhattan," she said.

"Okay," they said and headed off.

"What about me?" I asked.

"No, you stay here. I bet you have tons of work that needs to be done, especially since you missed school today. Also remember the last time I brought you along," she said.

"All right fine," I said.

"I'll see you later," she said kissing my forehead.

"See you later mini Beckett, "Castle said waving bye.

I sighed and sat at my aunt's desk finishing work that was scheduled for today's class. I did some math, science, and English homework, but I was so wondering what was happening in the case. Eventually Ryan and Esposito came back and put some more information on the board.

I read over the information and it seemed like the business man was calling another local office in the area. I wondered why he was doing that. Apparently Esposito and Ryan talked to some guy named, Philip Houser. I wonder what his role in this is.

My aunt came back with Castle and they explained to Esposito and Ryan what they found. Apparently, his other contact was a woman, and from what Castle said a very pretty women. I didn't miss the slight irritation on my aunt's face, I wonder if my aunt has a little thing for Castle. I'm not going to pry, but… Who am I kidding, I'm so going to pry, but not now, maybe later.

My aunt's phone rang and she answered. She was talking lowly on the phone and promptly hung up soon after.

"There's been another murder," she said.

While everyone was out at the new crime scene, I decided to snoop around the precinct. I was bound to find something useful to catch the killer. I decided to take a trip down to the morgue, since Lanie will be busy at the other crime scene.

I went down and Joey's body was still out on the examination table. He was all stitched up around the chest because of his recent autopsy. I put on some gloves and checked around the body. I checked every crevice of his body, except for the parts that was totally of limits. I checked behind his ear and that's when I felt something odd.

I lifted his ear to the side and saw a small looking microchip attached to the skin. I peeled it off carefully and looked at it. I wondered what it was. I thought about all the cop shows I've watched and the only thing that popped into my head was a bug. Someone was spying on Joey.

"EMILY!" I heard my aunt yell.

I slowly turned around to face my aunt who was almost always fuming around me.

"I may have helped solve the case," I said.

She glared at me and angrily walked over to where I was.

"What is it?" she said.

"A chip was in the back of his head. It could be a bug," I said.

"Let me see it," she said.

She put on a glove and took the chip from my hand. She analyzed it and her face lit up just a little bit.

"Emily, do not mention to anybody that you found this. Got it?" she said.

"Why?" I asked.

"It could compromise the investigation. You aren't even supposed to touch the body," she said.

"Sorry," I said.

"It's fine, just go with me on this. You sometimes are a decent help when it comes to solving cases," she said.

I smiled brightly at the compliment and she smiled back. She patted my head and we made our way back upstairs.

My aunt explained what "she found" and said that it could be a bug. They went to check it out and it turns out that the bug was tied back to the other company Joey was contacting. After they made their way back from the company talking to Phillip Houser, they were still trying to figure things out about the case.

* * *

Three grueling hours of boringness later my Aunt Kate and Castle said in unison, "I know who the killer is."

I looked at them oddly and soon they were bolting out of the precinct with Ryan and Esposito following behind. They brought in Amanda, the other number he contacted right before his death and were in interrogation with her. I decided to watch behind the glass and saw my aunt drilling questions to the lady.

My aunt was totally not playing around with her, sometimes when my aunts in interrogation she seems really scary, makes me wonder why I cross her sometimes. But sometimes it's fun seeing her angry, she gets that face, that makes you want to laugh and cry at the same time.

Eventually Amanda spilled why she had done it. She poisoned him with some kind of liquor she brought with her to the park. She said she was tired of him sneaking around with her, and not making them official. She said three life of her years wasted with that man who didn't want to take of the title of the wealthiest bachelors in New York.

She said she hacked into the bug she saw one night when she was with Joey. She heard that he was trying to open another company in California and when she confronted him, he said she was just a fling. She wasn't anything special to him. That's when se plotted to kill him and decided to do it in the park for their last romantic evening.

Eventually they took Amanda off to book her and the case was closed. My aunt secretly thanked me for helping to break the case. I was thrilled that I could help once again, maybe this is what I want to do when I grow up.

Since the next day it was Saturday, I got to hang out at the precinct again. Castle walked in with a goofy grin and threw a magazine on the table.

"Guess who made number five on the top ten eligible bachelors in New York?" Castle said.

"That realtor from Manhattan," my aunt said.

"That doctor who performed a double heart surgery in one day," Esposito said.

"Ooh, or that Scientist who found that new cure for the strain of the flu," Ryan said.

We all laughed at Castle's facial expression, it was a cross between disbelief and disappointment.

"No, it's me. I'm number five, and I look ruggedly handsome in this picture," he said flipping to his page.

We laughed again at his happiness and pure joy that he was number five in the top ten of eligible bachelors in New York.

"Well congratulations Castle," my aunt said.

"Wait you didn't hear the best part," Castle said.

"What best part?" Aunt Kate asked.

"The top ten bachelorettes, Ms. Beckett you made number eight," he said.

"What!?" My aunt said grabbing the book from Castle.

She flipped to the page and stared at the picture of her.

"How?" she said.

"Well some are nominated into the book and apparently someone nominated you," he said.

She looked around and tried to find out who nominated her. I slowly slunk down in my seat and my aunt glared daggers at me.

"Emily!?" she said.

"Well, I thought it be cool," I said shrugging.

"This is a terrible picture," she said.

"I liked it," I said.

"It's not that bad Kate, you look really good," Castle said.

"Yeah you do," Ryan and Esposito said.

"I guess," she said looking over the pic.

"Wouldn't it be funny if Bachelor number five went out with bachelorette number eight," I said.

I thought my aunts eyes would fly out of their sockets and Castle just stared in shock at me. Esposito and Ryan were laughing hysterically in their seats.

I just thought to myself, too soon?


	14. Chapter 14

AN:Thank you again to everyone for following, favouring, and reviewing this story. Here's the next chapter everybody, enjoy. Don't forget to Review. :)

Disclaimer: I do not own Castle or it's characters.

* * *

It's my Party, and I'll cry if I Want to

Today was my ninth birthday and Aunt Kate decided to throw me a small birthday party. Honestly, this is my first real birthday party in my entire 9 years of life. My mom tried to throw me one once, but all the people who came over were her drug dealers and other criminals. Not the best birthday party for a five year old.

Aunt Kate and I were setting up and putting up streamers and balloons. My aunt got me a cake but she won't let me see what it is. Every time I went to sneak a peek she'd grab my hand and make me focus on something else. We finally finished decorating my aunt's living room with a multicolor of decorations and turned on some music. Just minutes after setting up, the first guest arrived which was my grandpa.

"Hi grandpa," I said.

"Hey, Emily. I can't believe you're nine already. Do you feel any older?" he asked.

"Nope," I said.

"Hi, dad," Aunt Kate said.

"Hey Katie," he said.

They started talking and when the next guest arrived I opened the door.

"Hi, Lanie, Ryan, and Esposito," I said.

"Hey there mini Beckett," Esposito said.

"Hi Emily," Lanie said.

"Hey, kiddo," Ryan said.

"Happy birthday," they said in unison.

"Thanks," I said.

A few more people arrived that I was kind of acquainted to and also the captain. Even my three friends, Henry, Leo, and Blaire. There was still no sign of Castle, Alexis, and Mrs. Rodgers, and I hoped they'd come to my party. We were all hanging out, eating pizza, and playing games. I never knew birthday parties were so much fun.

About thirty minutes into the party there was a knock on our door. I opened it and standing there was Castle, Alexis, and Mrs. Rodgers.

"Hi," I said.

I gave them all big hugs happy that they were able to make it. They all said hi to me and they joined the party. Everyone mingled together and danced to the music. Castle let me stand on his feet and dance with him, then Alexis and I danced together, and then my friends and I danced together as a group.

It was finally time to open presents and what I got was totally awesome. My grandpa bought me a new skateboard, my friends got me a new awesome toy, everyone at the precinct pinched in to buy me an amp, which confused me until I opened my aunts present which was a new light blue Les Paul electric guitar. I was ecstatic, I've been eyeing it forever, but my aunt made me promise to take lessons, which I agreed to.

My last gift was very special though, Castle and his family got me a bullet proof vest just like his, but it said "Mini Detective" on the front. It fit perfectly and it was super cool, now I felt like a real detective.

"Thanks everyone, these are awesome gifts," I said grinning from ear to ear.

"No problem," everyone said.

The party started picking up again and my aunt went to get the cake with a few other adults. While no one was paying attention I slipped off to my room and shut the door softly. I sat on my bed and bawled my eyes out into my little hands. I couldn't stop, it kept coming out like a waterfall.

I heard my door open and close behind whoever came in. My aunt ran to me and pushed my medium length hair out of my face.

"Emily what's wrong," she asked.

I sniffled and tried to speak as clearly as I could, "I've never had a party like this before. This is one of the best moments in my short life. I can't stop crying."

"Oh, Emily. It's okay, you're just over emotional. Your happy and sad, it's just overwhelming you. We'll wait until you calm down, okay," she said.

"Okay," I said.

We sat in silence, well except for my sniffling, until I spoke up, "Aunt Kate, is it bad that I wish my mama was here?"

"Emily, no its not. I know she wasn't the best, but she loved you. I miss my mom everyday too," she said.

"At least she wasn't a druggie," I said.

"Well no, but no matter who they are or what our mothers do, they are still apart of us. They make us who we are, there is nothing wrong with missing them," she said.

I nodded and said, "I wish she could be here. This is my first birthday without her. Even though we only really celebrated once, I still feel empty."

My aunt hugged me close and said, "I understand Emily. This is tough for you. Honestly I kind of miss her to, she was my sister after all. I bet she's real proud of you Emily."

"Thanks Aunt Kate," I said.

We continued to embrace until there was a knock on the door. Aunt Kate looked at me and I nodded.

"Come in," she said.

Castle popped his head in and said, "Oh sorry to interrupt. I was just wondering when we're going to eat cake?"

We laughed at him and I said, "Hands off my cake."

"Not if I get to it first," he said.

I flew out the room with Castle on my tail, heading towards the cake. I heard Aunt Kate and the other guests laughing at our antics. Aunt Kate lit the candles on my cool cake, it looked like a crime scene with an outline of a body, and I looked around the room while they sang "Happy Birthday".

I already had everything I wanted and I saw my Aunt and Castle standing and talking together. I blew out my candles and made a wish: I wished that Castle and my aunt would see how close they are and get together already. We ate the cake and spent the rest of the afternoon cleaning up and saying goodbye as the guests left.

Eventually everyone went home except for Castle, who said he'd stay behind to help clean up. Alexis and Mrs. Rodgers left together once Castle announced he'd stay here. Castle took a dollop of icing while we were cleaning and sneakily dabbed it on my aunt's nose.

"Castle!" she yelled.

He laughed and then she grabbed a giant glob of icing and shoved in his face. I was laughing at the situation and they double tagged me and crammed icing all over my face. We spent the rest of the night having an icing fight and then cleaning up the huge mess. It was the best day ever and hopefully one day my wish will come true.


	15. Chapter 15

AN:Thank you again to everyone for following, favouring, and reviewing this story. Here's the next chapter everybody, enjoy. Don't forget to Review. :)

Disclaimer: I do not own Castle or it's characters.

* * *

School's out for the Summer, but Murders in Session (Part 1)

It's that time of year again, which every child around the world dreams about once school starts, that's right summer break. It's been a long tough school year, my mom died, I moved in with my aunt, and I got sent to a private preparatory school. I also had a ton of run-ins and mishaps with criminals and my own mischief. Today my aunt let me tag along to a crime scene at a jewelry store.

I was wearing my vest that Castle got me a month ago for my birthday. The jewelry store was apparently robbed and they killed three people. Glass was smashed up and there was a barrage of bullets everywhere. I looked around the shop and saw the three bodies sprawled about the display cases. The one looked like the jeweler, and the other two looked like a young couple, who were probably looking for something romantic.

Lanie was viewing the young woman and it looked like all three victims were shot in the back of the head.

"They didn't have to kill them, it was at close range and they were on their knees. I think this was more of a personal crime than just stealing jewelry," Lanie said.

"I agree, Lanie. There is definitely more behind this jewel theft and murder," my aunt said.

"Maybe the man was the target and they didn't want any witnesses," Castle said.

"Possibly, but it still doesn't explain the theft," my aunt said.

"They could have tried to throw off the cops," Castle said.

"I guess that's one possibility," she said looking over the scene.

"Aunt Kate, what's that?" I asked pointing to a piece of paper.

My aunt pick it up and read it out loud, "Stage 3 complete: BrokenArrows."

"What's that mean," Castle asked.

"I have no clue," my aunt said looking over the note.

"Do you think it's a game," I asked.

"A game? Why would it be a game?" my aunt asked.

"Well stages are usually apart of games," I said.

"Emily, this is not a game. This is reality," she said.

I looked at Castle, "I have to agree with your aunt on this one, mini Beckett. Even though you have a small point."

"Don't add to her child theories," my aunt said.

* * *

Eventually we left the scene and my aunt decided to take me home. Since I turned nine my aunt has been letting me stay alone at home, not a lot, but enough to see if I'm trustworthy enough. I was surfing the web and listening to today's hard rock radio. My favorite song was on and I was banging my head like it was no tomorrow.

I came across a website that painted me intrigued. I went on it and looked through the forum and chat room of many different people around New York. That's when I read each message posted on the forum.

"Stage three was completed, SeththeOhMighty1," posted by BrokenArrows.

"I am pleased with your work. Who did you take and how many were killed?" Seth wrote.

"I took Hansel'sGrettle, and Foxwatch65 with me sir. Only three were killed and no special people were there," Arrows said.

"Very well, BrokenArrows. Your team gets 50 points added to each of your separate profiles. DingDongDitch, finished stage four at central park and killed two people and one was an attorney from long island, so he gets special points," Seth said.

I was shocked and frightened at what I read, it was just a game. A game messing with everyone's lives. This is not a very good thing, especially in New York. I looked to see how many people were a part of this website, and I saw that there was 125 profiles. I had to contact Aunt Kate before this gets out of hand. Just when I was about to go call my aunt, another post popped onto the screen.

"Attention all players, stage five is now in effect. I want someone to go to Marty's Meat Market and grab two steaks and money out of the register. Remember leave no witnesses and have fun. Also no children, remember points will be deducted if a child dies. I'm always watching," Seth said.

Oh no, they're already starting stage five. I quickly got to the phone and dialed Aunt Kate's number.

"Emily, I'm busy. If it's not a dire emergency I have to go. We just had another case," she said.

"At Central Park?" I asked.

"How did you know? We didn't release that yet," she said.

"I found a website that links to the case," I said.

"What? A website," my aunt asked.

"Yeah, it is just a game, Aunt Kate. A very bad game," I said.

"Emily give me the website," she said.

"It's ," I said.

"Okay, I'm going to check it out. Behave," she said.

"Wait but…" I said.

"Bye Emily," she said and hung up.

I didn't even get to tell her where the next stage was going to take place. So I thought to myself, there's only one thing to do at a time like this. Head over to Marty's Meat Market and stop them myself. Okay maybe not the smartest idea, but I'll think about a plan on my way to the store.

* * *

I made it to the market in about ten minutes and the place already looked like a blood bath. The windows were shot out and blood was covering the walls and floor. I didn't know what stains were the animal blood or the human blood. It was a pretty grotesque sight.

I saw someone run out of the back with a hand on his stomach, it was bleeding pretty badly and he looked ghostly pale. He looked like one of the killers because he was clutching a plastic mask in his hands and he looked like he was only about seventeen years old.

"They didn't know he'd have a gun. They left me to die, they left…" he dropped to the floor and blood was forming at his mouth.

"Help is coming," I said.

"It's…It's too late. If they contact my mom tell them to tell her…I love her and… and… I'm sorry," he said and took one last breath.

It was a pretty difficult seen to take in. I looked around and knew there was going to be a big uproar in New York. This is getting way out of hand. I looked out the window and saw a shady figure hanging out in the shadows. It hit me of what Seth said, "I'm always watching."

I decided to confront him and followed him down the alley by the market.

"Hey, you're SethTheOhMighty1," I confronted him.

He whipped around and glared down at me. He also looked young, probably around eighteen or nineteen years old.

"Get out of here kid. You don't want to get hurt," Seth said.

"You shouldn't be doing this," I said.

"What are you going to do about? It's just something that needs to happen. This corrupt city needs to know, we won't take this anymore. We are the new generation, we own this city," he said.

"You're crazy," I said.

"No, I'm the future. We'll take over this city, then we'll take over the next, until we have the whole country praising this generation. I'll recruit every person who wants to fight with me," he said.

"You're going to get caught," I said.

"Not if I can help it. My IP address is untraceable and I never go commit the crimes. I only organize it," he said.

"I've seen your face," I said.

He pushed me up against the wall and said, "You're lucky you remind me of my little sister and I have a rule that I can't kill children. So I'll just knock you out."

He knocked my head against the thick hard brick wall behind me and after a few rough hits my vision blurred and he dropped me to the ground. I could feel the blood seeping out at the back of my head, making my hair feel weird. I watched his hazy figure walk away and darkness consumed my aching head.

* * *

I slowly blinked my eyes to reveal a very blinding white light shining down on me. I looked around and saw white walls and hospital items around. I was lying in a hospital bed in an uncomfortable light blue hospital gown. My aunt was sleeping in a chair next to my bed and I wondered why she was here.

"Aunt Kate?" I said.

She slowly blinked open her eyes and quickly looked at me. She threw her arms around me and I felt a few tears drop onto my cheek.

"I'm so glad you're awake. It's been a hard few days," she said softly.

A few days, I've been in the hospital for a few days. I wondered why I was here, how did I get here?

"Where's mama," I asked looking for her.

"What? What do you mean?" she asked looking worried.

"Where's mama? How did I get here?" I asked.

"Emily?" my aunt said slowly and nervously.

Just then a man came in who was around my aunt's age and he was holding two cups of coffee.

"Mini Beckett's awake," he said smiling at us.

"Who are you?" I asked.

"Emily, that's Castle. You remember Castle, right?" she asked.

"Are you two dating?" I asked.

"No, no…He shadows me at work and is a writer," she said.

"The Nikki Heat and Derrick Storm writer? Mama read a few of them," I said.

"Huh?" Castle looked confused.

"I think this is much worse than we expected. I think she has amnesia," my aunt said.

"But she's the only one who saw something," Castle said.

"I know," she said.

I looked at them confused, I can't have amnesia. I remember things just fine. I just started the third grade and my mama was proud of me. What's going on?


	16. Chapter 16

AN:Thank you again to everyone for following, favouring, and reviewing this story. Here's the next chapter everybody, enjoy. Don't forget to Review. :)

Disclaimer: I do not own Castle or it's characters.

* * *

School's out for the Summer, but Murders in Session (Part 2)

I was being checked out by a nice woman doctor to see the damage done. I had to get a cat scan and a few other tests to see if I had permanent damage or if it was just a traumatic experience that I tried to forget. The doctor finished up and turned to my aunt Kate saying, "I think she's just suppressing her memories. She's been through a lot in the past eight months; losing her mother, getting kidnapped, and now this. I think once something triggers her memory, everything will come flowing back."

"So she will regain her memory," my aunt said.

"Yes, I'm pretty positive this is just temporary amnesia. But just because it's temporary, it can still be awhile until she gets it back," the doctor said.

"Okay, thank you Doctor Rider. When can I take her home?" my aunt asked.

"We'll keep her for one more night of observations and then you can take her home tomorrow," Doctor Rider said.

"All right, see you later," my aunt said.

"See you later, detective," the doctor said and left.

"I can't believe all that happened," I said.

My aunt looked over at me and said, "Me either, but I'm glad you're okay. I just hope you regain your memory."

The door opened and in came that writer, Castle.

"Hey, does mini Beckett have her memory back yet?" Castle asked.

"Not, yet we need something to trigger her memory," my aunt said.

"You'd think my handsome face and awesomeness would help trigger her memory," Castle said with a chuckle.

"Castle, seriously!? I think that is a face one would so easily forget," my aunt snickered.

"Ow, you know how to shoot a guy down," Castle said in a mock hurt tone.

"Yep, with my words and my gun," she laughed.

He laughed too and said, "I'm glad I get the words and not the gun."

A beep went through the sound system in the hospital and the announcement said, "All guests, please take the time to say goodbye because visiting hours end in five minutes. Goodnight."

"My aunt checked her watch and sighed, "Guess it's that time. See you later Emily, I love you."

She leaned over and placed a kiss on my head.

"I love you too Aunt Kate," I said.

"See you later mini Beckett," Castle said.

"Bye," I said to him.

They left and I sat there in silence trying to pick up on any of my memories that I lost. When I got nowhere with trying to pluck memories from my brain, I decided to watch some cartoons. Once it got late a nurse came in to turn off the lights and I turned off the television to get some sleep.

* * *

The next day the doctor came in to check me out once more and then a few hours after my aunt arrived to take me home. She brought me some jeans, a t-shirt, and my black converse sneakers. I went and changed in my hospital room's bathroom, while my Aunt Kate filled out paper work to release me.

She drove us home once we finished with the paperwork and she had a quick chat with Doctor Rider. On the way home my aunt spoke up, "Emily, I want to ask you something."

"What do you want to ask?" I asked.

"It's completely up to you, but I want to bring you down to the precinct and have you check out a few people we've caught who could be SeththeOhMighty1. We already apprehended BrokenArrows and his two accomplices."

"Who?" I asked confused.

"Right I forgot you don't remember, but you helped us locate the web site to put a stop to a case we're on. So far we've booked and fined almost half of the people who were members of the website," my aunt said.

"Oh, wow. I mean, I guess I can try. I'd love to fill in the empty space in my memory."

"Okay, but if it gets to stressful, we can go home. Okay?"

"Okay."

We drove to the precinct and my aunt led the way to their floor. We got of the elevator and a Hispanic man around my aunt's age greeted us.

"Hey, Kate. Hi mini Beckett," a Hispanic man said.

"Um... Hi," I said.

"Oh I forgot, I'm Esposito. I work with your aunt," he said.

"Oh," I said.

"I'm going to show her the mug shots of the men we found. I hope one of them will jog her memory," my aunt said.

"Okay, I'll go get those for you," he said.

"Thanks," she said.

"No problem," he said and left to get the pictures.

My aunt led me to an investigation room and I sat down in one of the metal chairs. Esposito came in about a minute later, holding a stack of photos of the potential perps.

* * *

Three hours of going through the pile of mugshots twice, not once did one of them trigger my lost memories. I was tired and frustrated, it was weird having a feeling of emptiness and unknowingness in the back of mind. It's like I know it's there, but I can't seem to grasp it.

"Come on Em. It's getting late and you've been searching for hours. I think you need to go home and rest," my aunt said.

"Okay," I said.

She took us to her apartment and as soon as I got in my pajamas, I hit the sheets and practically fell right to sleep. I was having a crazy distorted dream last night, I couldn't seem to see what was happening, but I did know it wasn't good. I awoke with a fright and my aunt came into my room with concern filling her face.

"Emily are you okay?" she asked looking me over.

"I'm fine Aunt Kate. I had a horrible nightmare," I said.

"It was probably a memory coming back. Do you remember anything?"

"No, I can't it was all jumbled and fuzzy."

"All right, try to get some more sleep. Okay?"

"Okay, can you stay with me?"

"Sure, I'll stay with you.

I cuddled into my aunt's side and she rubbed my back soothingly. It felt really nice and I slowly drifted off to a peaceful sleep without any nightmares. I woke up around 9 am and my aunt wasn't in my room. I yawned and got out of bed, I decided to look around my room to see if any memories flooded back, but nothing. I sighed quietly to myself and walked out of my room and headed to the kitchen.

When I got there I smelled the aroma of yummy pancakes and saw my aunt cooking at the stove.

"It smells delicious Aunt Kate," I said.

"Thanks Em. I thought it be nice to have a nice breakfast together, it's a rare occasion," she said.

She placed three more on a plate full of other pancakes and took them to the table. We started eating in silence until my aunt spoke up, "Hey, since I have the day off today, I thought we could go shopping for groceries and then go to the park and a restaurant, maybe get some ice cream. What do you think?"

"That sounds great."

"Okay, let's finish this up and then we'll get ready."

I nodded and we finished up our tasty breakfast. We got ready for the day and headed to our nearest supermarket.

* * *

We've been shopping for about twenty minutes and we were getting a lot of different items. We were in the can goods aisle and my aunt was looking at some stuff. I saw a young man looking at something at the other side of the aisle. He looked oddly familiar, but I couldn't place him.

The young man turned his head down to where my aunt and I was and my memories came flooding back to me. My mom dying on our couch, me moving in with Aunt Kate, meeting Castle and my aunt's co-workers, being kidnapped, private school, and so many other things. My main memory of focus right now was the man in the aisle staring me down, Seth.

"That's him, that's Seth!" I shouted pointing him out to my aunt.

"Shit!" Seth shouted and bolted down the aisle.

My aunt quickly ran after telling me to stay there. I wasn't going to listen so I bolted down the aisle trying to pick up my pace to keep up with the chase. We got outside and Seth knocked over a bin of fresh produce that was set outside. My aunt dodged all the produce on the ground and kept up with Seth.

Eventually she caught up to him and plowed him into the wall of a building. He hit hard and dropped to the ground holding onto his side.

"Don't move," my aunt said.

"Screw you. That kid was supposed to have amnesia," he said.

"You brought my memory back," I said.

My aunt pulled out her phone and called for backup. Since she was off duty, she didn't bring her gun or other police items with her. Suddenly Seth lunged for me and wrapped his arm around my neck.

"Don't hurt her. You don't want to do this Seth," my aunt said, worry filling her voice.

"Let me go, and she'll be fine," he said.

"No, I can't let you go. You are a danger to this city," she said.

"Fine, then we'll be seeing you," he quickly dashed off with me struggling in his arms.

I tried relentlessly to break free, but it was no use, this geeky terrorist kid sure had a nice grip. I heard my aunts shouts get farther and farther as we ran down twist and turns of many different alley ways that I didn't even know existed. Eventually we got to a busy intersection where he grabbed onto the collar of my t-shirt roughly.

"Keep walking, don't draw suspicion," he said.

We walked calmly as we passed tons of New Yorkers barely sparring a glance in our direction. I guess being dragged conspicuously wasn't a big sign that I needed help. I caught a glimpse of a sign that was a little ways down from us and it just so happened to be a book signing for Castle, what luck. I read it quickly before we reached the building and saw it was happening right now. It looked like people were lining up and excited to get an autograph of the awesome writer.

As we got closer, I took the opportunity to bolt from my capturer and run into the bookstore. Seth was hot on my tail and I needed to catch Castle before it was too late. People gasped as I pushed through the line and I finally reached Castle sitting at a table filled with his newest Nikki Heat novel.

"Castle help!" I yelled.

"Emily!?" he said.

Seth grabbed me and tried to take me away. Castle stood up and grabbed my hand, holding it firmly so Seth couldn't pull me with.

"Let her go," Castle said in a warning tone.

"What are you gonna do about it? You're just a writer who follows a cop around, I'm not afraid of you," Seth said.

"No, but you should be afraid her," Castle said nodding behind us.

I turned around to see my Aunt Kate holding a gun someone probably lent her when the cops arrived and Ryan and Esposito was backing her up.

"Now, if I were you Seth, I'd surrender," my aunt said.

Seth looked around seeing he had nowhere else to go and let me go. He put his hands up slowly surrendering to the cops. Ryan grabbed Seth and put his hands behind his back, securing them with hand cuffs. As Ryan and Esposito escorted him out of the building, the crowded book store erupted into applause and excitement.

My aunt holstered the gun and placed a hand on my shoulder, "You okay?"

"Never better, at least now I have my memory," I said with a small smile.

"You have your memory back!?" Castle said with excitement.

He hoisted me up into my arms and I laughed with pure joy.

"I'm so happy I have my little mini Beckett back. It was getting pretty boring without my little sidekick, plus I thought you'd never remember me," Castle said.

"How could I forget your ruggedly handsome face," I said with a small cheeky grin.

"My point exactly," Castle laughed.

"I'm so glad your back, Em," my aunt said.

"Me too, I felt lost for the past few days. I'm glad I can put things together without having jumbled up blocks," I said.

They nodded and my aunt said, "We'll let you get back to your book signing."

"Come on stay a little bit. We have cookies and drinks, and I'm doing a little book reading after I'm done signing," he said.

"Well, I guess Ryan and Esposito can handle the rest of the case. We can get Emily's statement later, it has been a pretty rough few days for everyone. It's up to you, Em," she said.

"Hell yeah I think we should stay," I said.

Castle stifled his laughter and I could feel his body rumble while he held me. My aunt's eyes widened and then glared at me, she said firmly, "Emily Marie Beckett Roswell!"

"Well she's certainly back to normal," Castle chuckled out.

"Yeah to normal, I think she hit her head to hard," my aunt said.

"Sorry," I said with a guilty smile.

"Its fine just don't let it happen again," she said.

"Will do," I said.

"Hey, Emily? Do you want to help me hand out my books to the fans? I'll sign them and then you give it to the fan," he asked.

"That be awesome. Can I Aunt Kate?" I asked.

"Sure, have fun," she said.

Castle brought me behind the table with him and the book signing was back up and running. My aunt hung out in the back watching Castle and I interact with the fans. Even a few of them were happy to see me and thought I was cute. I peered back over at my aunt and saw that she had a small smile on her face and I knew she enjoyed these moments.

Eventually the signing was over and it was time for Castle's reading of an excerpt from his book. I was standing with Aunt Kate eating a chocolate chip cookie listening to the dramatic events that Nikki Heat was going through while trying to find her niece with the journalist, Jameson Rook, by her side. It was compelling and amazing, when he ended the excerpt, I wanted to hear more so bad.

Castle got a standing ovation and soon people were filing out of the bookstore or meandering around. Castle came up to us and asked, "How was it?"

"It was awesome! I want to know what happens," I said.

"Maybe I can read it to you when you stay over my place again," he said.

"That would be great," I said.

"It was really great Castle," my aunt said.

"Well thank you, but I couldn't have done it without my two muses. That's why I specifically got these two copies for you two and written a special message for you both," Castle said handing my aunt and I a book.

I turned to the front page and saw writing from Castle in black ink: "To the adorable and amazing mini Beckett. You inspired me to make Nikki's niece just as awesome and brave as you. Keep up the awesome police work. Your one of my top favorite people and I love you like a second daughter. I hope for many more awesome and fun times together, Emily. Love, Castle."

"Thanks Castle, this is so cool. I appreciate it," I said.

He gave a small smile and said, "It's no problem."

"Thanks Castle, I look forward to solving more cases with you. No matter how much you drive me cray, you're a big help sometimes," my aunt said.

"Well you know I am pretty awesome," Castle laughed.

I chuckled and my aunt rolled her eyes at him, "Yeah sure Castle."

"Hey, my mom, Alexis, and I are going out to dinner tonight to celebrate. I'd love for you two to join us," Castle asked.

"Can we…" I pleaded with my aunt.

"Sure, if it's not too much trouble," she said.

"Not at all," he said as he smiled charmingly.

We went out to dinner having a great time with Alexis, Mrs. Rodgers, and Castle. As I looked around the table and saw everyone laughing and talking joyfully, I thought to myself that this is a moment I hope I never forget. I hope I get many more moments like these with the same group of people. Maybe one day, this will be the family that I longed for. I just hope Aunt Kate and Castle see it before it's too late.


	17. Chapter 17

AN:Thank you again to everyone for following, favouring, and reviewing this story. Here's the next chapter everybody, enjoy. Don't forget to Review. :)

Disclaimer: I do not own Castle or it's characters.

* * *

Castle and Mini Beckett on the case

Castle and I were walking through a local aquarium, looking at all the different fishes and sea creatures from the ocean. The aquarium just added a new exhibit to the place and it was sharks. They have about three different species of sharks; hammerhead sharks, tiger sharks, and blue sharks. It was an amazing aquarium and very huge, with nice settings and lighting. I've never seen anything like it.

"Thanks for taking me with Castle," I said.

"It's no problem, Alexis had a birthday party sleepover today, and my mom is getting ready for a new show, so I though why not invite my next favorite person," Castle said.

"Cool," I smiled.

We walked along the path and looked at each observation window, watching the underwater creatures go about their business. Castle and I passed a small food stand and Castle offered to buy us some lemonade. When he went over to stand in line, I looked at the octopuses in the one exhibit and the different color and size fishes swim around.

To my left I saw a women around her late twenties sniffling and wiping her tears. She looked distraught and I wondered why no one else went to talk you her. I walked over and asked the lady, "What's wrong?"

"I lost my purse and I don't have my phone to call my husband," she said.

"Did you misplace it?"

"No, I put it right up here to pick up the money I dropped after I bought a drink and when I turned around, it was gone."

"So it was stolen?"

"I'm pretty sure it was. I need it back, ASAP."

"Emily, what'cha doing?" Castle asked as he came over with our drinks.

"This lady lost her bag. We think it's been stolen," I said.

"Really?" Castle asked.

"Yeah, it was here and then it vanished," she said.

"I think this is a job for Castle and mini Beckett," I said.

"We can help," Castle nodded.

"Thank you so much," the lady said.

"What's your name?" I asked.

"Chloe Shyster," she said.

"I'm Emily Beckett and this is Richard Castle," I said.

"Castle? As in the writer?" she asked.

"Yep that's me," Castle said with a small grin.

"It's nice to meet you, my husband and I love your novels," she said.

"Thanks," he said.

"All right, let's get down to business. Is your husband here ma'am?" I asked.

"Yes, he was supposed to meet me back here after he was done using the men's room, but he hasn't been back yet. Now that my phones missing, I can't call him," she said.

"Here use mine, see if you can get a hold of him," Castle said handing her his phone.

"Thank you," she said and dialed her husband's number.

I looked around and tried to see anything suspicious but it seemed like any other day at an aquarium.

"What do you think?" Castle asked.

"I think we're missing something, but I don't know," I said.

"That's what I was thinking. We find the culprit, we find the purse, then possibly the husband," Castle said.

"Do you think the husband has it?" I asked.

"I was thinking that too, but why would he take it and leave his wife alone and scared," Castle said.

"Because people in relationships are crazy," I said.

"Well I can't argue with you on that," Castle chuckled.

"He's not answering I called twice and it goes to voice mail," she said handing castle his phone back.

"Hmm… we'll find him. What's your purse look like?" I asked.

"It's medium size and black with goldish zippers, and I also attached a little heart key chain to it," she said.

"Okay, that's descriptive. Now your husband," I said.

"He's about six feet tall and has short blonde hair and blue eyes. He has a slight goatee forming and a small mole on his neck. He was wearing a blue polo shirt, khaki shorts, with his favorite blue and white sneakers," she said.

"Okay, seems like we have something to work with," I said.

"Yeah, we should split up," Castle said.

"Agreed, you should stay with Chloe and I'll go alone," I said.

"No, you stay with Chloe and I'll go alone," he said.

"Excuse us," I said.

She nodded with a raised brow and stood a little off to the side.

"Why do I have to stay with her?" I asked.

"Because, if you're alone and something happens no one will know. If something happens when you're with her then she can help," Castle said.

"But what if she's the one who set all this up."

"I don't know about that, she seems pretty sincere."

"I guess, fine go alone. Just be careful, detective Castle."

"Same to you, mini detective Beckett."

I went over to Chloe and Castle went off by himself in search for her bag and husband.

"So, I guess we can retrace your steps," I said.

"Okay," Chloe said.

* * *

She went over what she did from the beginning, when they came in and to the end, where she lost her purse. When we got back to where we first met, I decided we needed another approach, we needed to check everything and everyone.

"Okay Chloe, there is one thing I can think of right now, check the garbage cans," I said.

"The garbage cans? Why the garbage cans?" she asked.

"Some criminals toss the evidence after they took what they needed. The trash is our next best thing."

"Okay, sounds good."

We checked each trashcan around the entire aquarium. When I was about to give up hope I found something deep in a trashcan, at the jellyfish exhibit. It was her purse but it was filled with bundles and bundles of hundred dollar bills. I'd say it was about ten grands in her black purse.

"Oh my god," she said.

"Do you know why there's this much money in here?" I asked.

"Honestly no, you probably think it was me but it wasn't I swear."

"But you said you needed it back, ASAP," I said feeling duped.

"No, I promise I don't know. I needed it because it has my inhaler, had my inhaler," she said.

"Uh-huh, then why would someone use your bag for a money drop?" I said

"To frame me, I don't know," she said.

She looked behind me and her eyes widened with fear. She let out a piercing scream and I turned to find her husband floating in the new shark exhibit, dead and bleeding.

"What's going...?" Castle saw the body and cut his sentence short.

"I think we found her husband," I said.

* * *

About twenty minutes later cops arrived with Lanie and my aunt Kate. Aunt Kate talked to the woman and Lanie checked out Chloe's husband's damp body. Aunt Kate walked over to Castle and me and said, "Were you two really trying to solve this yourself?"

"In fairness to us, we thought it was a simple purse snatching, who would have thought it was more," I said.

"Agreed, if I would have known it would wind up like this, you would have been my first phone call," Castle said.

"All right, did you two notice anything suspicious?" my aunt asked.

"Nope, I didn't. Except for the bag and the body," I said shrugging.

"Actually, there was a man on the phone in the bathroom. He was talking low and said the pickup was ready," Castle said.

"Do you remember what he looked like?" she asked.

"Yeah," Castle said.

"Come on, we're going to the precinct," she said.

* * *

We went to the 12 precinct and Castle was in interrogation with Aunt Kate, giving her a statement and telling the sketch artist what the man in the bathroom looked like. I was sitting at my aunt's desk listening to all the gossip floating around the precinct about the case.

Ryan and Esposito were interrogating Mrs. Shyster to see if they could get any good information out of her. I decided to look at the evidence board and tried to put something together. I sighed to myself looking over everything we had, it all didn't make sense.

Chloe's purse gets stolen, with ten grand stuffed in it, tossed in a garbage can, also her husband's missing, then winds up dead in the shark tank, and we have a suspicious man in the bathroom. The main question is why them? What makes them the target? Is Mrs. Shyster in on it or is she a target too?

So many questions and they're all unanswered, if we could just put the pieces together then it could bring us to the bottom of everything. Wait Shyster? I think I have an idea, I think I know why they're targeted.

I jumped onto my aunt's computer and placed in her password, which she should definitely change. I went onto the internet and searched Chloe's husband, Damien Shyster. It came up with thousands of websites, but I was only interested in one, the New York Times. I went into the website and the heading came up, conforming my theory: "Shyster and Mammoth donate 3.5 million dollars to help create shark alley at Grady Aquarium."

Now I know why they were targeted, Damien was targeted because he was one of the contributors to the new exhibit at the aquarium. Now we have to determine who and why? What was the motive? Was Mammoth trying to sabotage it to take all the credit? Did Chloe want to gain all the money in his bank account? Or is someone just enraged?

My aunt and Castle came out of the interrogation room with the sketch artist, and the sketch artist walked off. They came over to me and my aunt gave me the look that said "why are you on my computer?"

"Did you know Damien Shyster was one of the contributors to the new exhibit?" I asked.

"Wait really?" Castle asked.

"Yeah," I said.

"Let me see," my aunt said.

She leaned over me and started reading through the article I had up.

"Huh, someone neglected to relay that information. I'm going to go talk to Mrs. Shyster," my aunt said and walked off.

"Nice job, mini Beckett. How'd you figure that out?" Castle asked.

"I remembered seeing something in the paper and the name. So I went for it and looked it up," I said with a shrug.

"We have a situation," my aunt said as she walked out of the room with Esposito and Ryan behind her.

"What happened?" Castle asked.

"Howard Mammoth was just murdered," my aunt said.

* * *

I was stuck at the precinct, twirling around in my aunt's desk chair. I was trying to figure out who or why the two benefactors of the new exhibit at the aquarium were suddenly murdered. It just didn't make any sense. Then I decided to do a little research of my own, while everyone else was up to their own investigation.

I went back into the internet and typed in the search engine: "Grady Aquarium new exhibit." When it pulled up, there was already news on both of the victim's death. I searched through some more news on the exhibit, when I found something promising. The headline stated: "Local Animal activists not happy with new exhibit."

I clicked on the link and read through the article as fast as my third grade education would let me. I found out about a group of at least ten people who protested the building of the new exhibit and the shipment of the different shark species. The group called themselves, "Precious Lives", and the leaders name was Reggie Derwood.

Maybe they were behind the murders. I mean if they're that passionate about what they believe in, I wouldn't put it past them to try and kill the people involved. I moved to a social media sight to see if the protesters said anything about tonight. I went to Reggie's sight first and found a recent post: "Those bozos deserved it. I hope they rot in Hell, like those poor sharks they kept in fake habitats."

Well he sure sounds livid about everything, but it still doesn't prove he did anything wrong. I decided to look at more recent posts of Reggie's: "Those two bastards, Shyster and Mammoth, should get what's coming to them", "If I had any way to get my hands on those two rich, unhumanitarian, douche bags, I'd kill them."

Well seems like Reggie is getting guiltier and guiltier by each post. My aunt and Castle walked in talking to each other. They both had their thinking faces on and I knew they were discussing something in the case. I went up to them and said, "I know who the killer is," at the exact same time as Castle and my aunt Kate. They both gave me a funny look and I returned it.

"How do you know who the killer is?" my aunt asked.

"I mean it's just a hunch but a protester, Reggie..." I started but my aunt cut me off.

"Reggie Derwood, who's been stalking both of our victims and making rash comments at the protests," my aunt finished.

"Well I didn't know all that, but his social media posts sure are something," I said.

Castle and my aunt went over to the computer and read the same posts I did.

"Wow this guy is really something," Castle said.

"Yeah, he's real passionate about what he cares for," my aunt said.

"Passionate enough to kill," Castle said.

"Let's find out," my aunt said.

* * *

Two hours after searching for Reggie, police finally were able to track him down. I was standing in the observation room watching my aunt and Castle interrogating Reggie.

"Now listen to me Reggie, you're a class A nerd. You couldn't have pulled off two murders of high class people on your own. Now either tell me who's your partner in crime or go down all by yourself," my aunt said.

"Listen I'm not a snitch. I've seen the movies," he said.

"Well looks like you're going down for a long time Reggie. Your mom seemed upset when we showed up at your house," Castle piped in.

My aunt looked over at him and Castle shrugged his shoulders.

"I know I hurt my mom, I didn't mean for this to happen. It wasn't supposed to get traced back to me. He said it'll be fine and everything would be cleared if I played up," Reggie said sadly.

"Who Reggie?" my aunt pressed.

"His name was Jeremy Stanza. No one was supposed to find the money, he was going to take it and bolt. Then he was going to kill Mammoth, which he did," Reggie said.

"Why use Mrs. Shyster's purse?" Castle asked.

"Jeremy thought of it, we were going to frame her. If we'd take it, and it winds up being key evidence, she's the guiltiest person you have," Reggie said.

"Well, looks like your plan didn't go as smoothly. I hope you enjoy prison, thinking about how you didn't make a dent in saving the sharks, but making two widows grieve over their dead husbands," my aunt said.

They left the room and I watched as Reggie looked guilty and sad for what he's done. Knowing his crime was stupid and didn't do any good in what he was trying to accomplish.

* * *

Eventually they found his partner, Jeremy Stanza, and booked him for two counts of murder. Both Mrs. Mammoth and Mrs. Shyster thanked everyone for finding their husbands killers and they even thanked me.

"Well mini detective Beckett, I think we did a fine good job," Castle said to me.

"I think we did detective Castle," I said.

"We make as good of a team as your aunt and me. Guess it's the Beckett genes," Castle said.

"Guess so," I laughed.

He laughed along with me and my aunt came over to us.

"What are you two laughing about?" she asked with a chuckle.

"How good of a team we are," Castle said.

"And how good our Beckett genes are," I said.

"I guess you are pretty much a mini me. You sure know how to do some decent detective work," my aunt said.

"That's for sure, maybe she'll be like you some day," Castle said.

"Maybe better," my aunt said.

I beamed at compliments I was getting from them. I couldn't help but to think in the back of my mind, will I be like my aunt when I grow up, or will I travel down the dark and depressing road like my mom? I just hoped I keep my head together and steer in the right direction like my aunt did. At least I have people to help me down that long road in my all too soon future.


	18. Chapter 18

AN:Thank you again to everyone for following, favouring, and reviewing this story. Here's the next chapter everybody, enjoy. Don't forget to Review. :)

Disclaimer: I do not own Castle or it's characters.

* * *

Welcome Back

Once again it was time to start a new school year. All the kids were thrilled, yeah right. I was in the fourth grade this year and I hoped I had all my friends in class again. I walked into my new classroom and my teacher, Ms. Biscuit, was writing something on the board. I took an empty seat by the window and soon after I saw my best friend Henry come in.

He took a seat next to me and said, "Hey, Emily. I'm so glad we have class together again."

"Me too. Do you think Leo and Blair have this class too?" I asked.

"I hope so. I just hope Hailey isn't in our class," Henry said.

"Hate to burst your bubble blondie, but I just so happen to be in the two misfits class," Hailey said as she took a seat in front of Henry.

Her two best friends sat on either side of her and they started making conversation.

"What did you do this summer Hailey?" Elizabeth one of her friends asked.

"I took a trip to Paris, it was beautiful. I spent almost a month there. I learned French while I was there, isn't it merveilleux," she said.

"Oh so cool," her friends said.

"Gag me," I said.

Hailey turned, glared at me, and said, "Yeah and what did you do this summer, Emily. Did you get hunted by another murderer? Did you lose another family member? Because everyone you seem to be with dies," Hailey said.

"I wish that was true, because I'm with you right now. So far my curse hasn't worked yet," I said.

"Ugh… I hope your curse works on you so I don't have to see you again," Hailey said turning around.

I glared at the back of her head and Henry said, "Leave her alone. I heard karma gets people like her."

"I hope so," I said.

"Hey guys, torturing Hailey already," Leo said sitting behind Henry.

"Of course," Henry said.

Leo laughed and said, "Guess what I did this summer?"

"What?" I asked.

"I went to New Jersey with my family and we spent a week at the shore," Leo said.

"That's cool," I said.

"Yeah, I got to go to Orlando, Florida and visit Disney world and Universal Studios," Henry said.

"Sweet," Leo said.

"Yeah cool," I said.

"Hey guys," Blaire said sitting behind me.

"Hey Blaire, I'm so psyched that we all have class together," Leo said.

"Me too," Henry said.

"What are you guys talking about?" she asked.

"Our trips over the summer," Henry said.

"Oh, I got to go to Hawaii for a few weeks. My dad was on a business trip," Blaire said.

"Awesome," Leo said.

"Was it fun?" I asked.

"Yeah," Blaire said.

"How about you, Emily?" Henry asked me.

"Um… I mostly just stayed here and hung out," I said.

"Oh, that's cool. Who needs to go anywhere during the summer," Henry said.

"Yeah, it's not all what it's cracked up to be," Leo said.

"But you always have exciting stories to share since your aunts a detective," Blaire said.

"Yeah that's true, I did help out with a few murders," I said.

"Cool," they said in unison.

The bell rung and class began shortly after. Ms. Biscuit seemed really nice and she barely gave us any hard work since it was the first day of class. Soon it was lunch time and I was walking to our table when a leg tripped me and I fell face first into the schools mashed potatoes that was on my tray. I got up slowly and wiped the food from my face.

I saw Hailey snickering with her friends and half of the school.

"You should watch where you walk, misfit," Hailey said.

I wanted to deck her, but I knew my aunt would kill me if I got kicked out this good school. I just walked to my table while shaking with uncontrollable anger. Henry handed me his napkin and I took it gratefully and started wiping off the mashed potatoes on my face.

"You okay?" Leo asked.

"I'm fine, I just wish I could kick Hailey's butt without getting expelled," I said.

"Believe me, we all do," Henry said.

"Here have my apple," Blaire said.

"Thanks," I said taking Blaire's apple.

We ate talking more about our summers in detail and joking around about our new school year. We went back to class and got a small art assignment to do, so Ms. Biscuit could have something to put on her classroom walls. We finished up and it was soon time to return home and I was surprised to see my aunt waiting for me out front.

"Hi, Aunt Kate," I said.

"Hey Emily," She said as gave me a quick hug.

"What are you doing here?" I asked.

"Thought it would be nice to pick you up from your first day of the fourth grade," she said.

"Cool," I said.

We got in and she started driving us home, but we got stuck in the awful New York traffic. She decided to make small talk as we were stuck in the traffic, "So how was school?"

"It was okay," I said with a shrug.

"Please tell me you didn't hit that phase when you only give me short undetailed answers."

"No, thing is everyone was talking about how they went somewhere for the summer, and then Hailey tripped me in front of the whole cafeteria making me get mashed potatoes all over my face."

"Oh, so it was a bad day."

"You could say that, but at least I have my friends in my class."

"Well that's good. Did you tell the principal about Hailey?"

"That's not going to do any good. She's the richest kid in that school, her parents, grandparents, and great parents went there, and they put tons of money into the school."

"I see, just don't let her get under your skin. Just ignore her. Please, don't cause any trouble."

"I won't, no matter how much I'd like to beat her up. I know you want me to stay in this school."

"You're a good kid Em. I know you're able to do the right thing, but just think school will fly by and you'll be going to college."

"Yeah I guess so."

"It will."

Eventually we arrived at my aunts apartment and I through my backpack into my room.

"Do you have any homework?" my aunt asked.

"Nope," I said.

"Okay then, how about we order in and watch some movies?"

"Sounds great."

We ordered some Italian from a place a few blocks down and were eating on the couch watching some crazy comedy. We were having a blast hanging out together and it makes me happy when we can do things like this. Now that school's back in session and my aunt's always busy with work, I think these little moments are going to be pushed to the back burner. I just hope that that won't be the case and we'll find time to have fun times together.


	19. Chapter 19

AN: This chapter is based off of Episode 1 Season 4 "Rise". Also I posted a Halloween one-shot with mini Beckett, so if you want to check that out, if you didn't already, you can :). Thank you again to everyone for following, favouring, and reviewing this story. Here's the next chapter everybody, enjoy. Don't forget to Review. :)

Disclaimer: I do not own Castle or it's characters.

* * *

I can't lose Someone Again

Recently Captain Montgomery was murdered, my aunt is speaking at his funeral today. She wanted me to go to school instead of being at the funeral. I sat in class wondering how the funeral was, it was sad that the captain lost his life. I feel bad for his wife and two daughters. He was really nice to me. The intercom in our class room came on and the lady's voice, from the reception desk, made a crackling announcement, "Ms. Biscuit?"

"Yes, Mrs. Rosemary," my teacher said.

"Can we have Emily Roswell Beckett down for an early dismissal?" Mrs. Rosemary asked.

My eyes went wide and I wondered why I was being taken out of class early today. Ms. Biscuit looked over at me and said, "Yes, she'll be right down."

I quickly got my stuff together and went down to the front office to see my grandfather standing there with sad eyes.

"What's wrong?" I asked scared.

"Your aunts been shot," is all he said.

My heart dropped and I couldn't breathe, it felt like my whole world just got turned upside down. I couldn't go through another loss again, it's all too soon.

* * *

The whole ride to the hospital was silent, making that much more depressing. When we arrived everyone was gathered around waiting for my word on my Aunt Kate. When everyone looked over at us, my grandpa said, "Where's Katie? Where's my daughter?"

We were all standing around waiting to hear that she pulled through, hoping she would pull through. I was leaning against the hospital wall, tears flowing softly down my cheeks. Alexis was with me, trying to comfort me. I felt like I had a lot of people on my side; Esposito was comforting Lanie, Ryan was walking back and forth, Mrs. Rodgers was comforting Castle, and my grandpa was keeping to himself trying to wrap his head around it all.

The doctor came out and it happened to be my aunt's boyfriend, Josh, and he pushed Castle and started blaming him for everything that's been happening. Castle tried to get back at the Josh, but everyone held the two men back. I never liked Josh anyway, he tried to be nice to me, but I didn't care for my aunt and his relationship.

My grandpa stepped in and yelled at the men for acting like three year olds, while his daughter is fighting for her life. Josh walked away and I continued to lean against the wall watching everybody move about and it all felt so unreal. It felt like I was in a daze, I just hope my aunts going to be okay.

* * *

It was late and we've been here for hours. I was leaning against my grandpa with Castle and Mrs. Rodgers, sitting to my right. The doctor came bye and called for my grandpa, he got up and I sat there watching the conversation. The doctor told him that aunt Kate was out of surgery. Everyone stood up and hung off of every word the doctor was saying.

Grandpa asked when we could see her, but the doctor said once the nurses get her settled he'll bring him back to her. The doc told everyone else that they should go home and get some rest. Esposito wasn't going to go home until they catch who did this, so Esposito, Ryan, and Castle headed to the precinct, leaving me with my grandpa, Alexis, and Mrs. Rodgers.

"Emily, you should go home," my grandpa said.

"No, I want to stay. I don't want to leave, what if something happens," I said.

"There would be nothing you could do anyway. You need sleep," he said.

"But…" I started, but Mrs. Rodgers stepped in, "Emily it might be best if you sleep. I'm sure your aunt will be fine and we'll bring you right over when she wakes."

"Okay," I whispered.

"Thank you for doing this," my grandpa said to Mrs. Rodgers.

"It's no problem. You're all like part of the family," she said.

Alexis grabbed my hand and smiled at me softly, "Come on Emily."

The three of us took a cab to Castle's place and Alexis brought me to her room to sleep.

"Alexis?" I asked.

"Yeah Emily," she said as she brought back the covers of her bed.

"Can I maybe sleep with you tonight?" I asked.

"Of course. I understand what you are going through, you're like my little sister. You can bunk with me whenever you want," she said.

I smiled at her and I hopped into bed with her. I snuggled with Alexis and laid my head on her chest, wrapping my arm around her waist.

"Goodnight Emily," she said and kissed my head.

"Goodnight Alexis," I said.

I quickly fell asleep because I was extremely tired after the long day I had today. I couldn't wait to get the call to see my aunt once she woke up.

* * *

The next day came around and right after breakfast we got a call from my grandpa that my aunt was awake. As soon as we arrived I ran right into where my aunt was placed and there was a whole bunch of flowers covering her side of the hospital room.

She smiled at me and I ran towards her and said, "Aunt Kate, I'm so happy you're alive."

"Yeah well me too," she smiled softly.

"Are you okay?" I asked.

"I've been better, but I'm glad you're here. How are you doing?" she asked.

"I'm okay, I thought I was going to lose another important person in my life," I whispered.

"Emily, I'm so sorry you had to deal with this."

"It's not so bad I had Alexis and Mrs. Rodgers to keep me company. Plus Grandpa, Castle, and everyone at the precinct have been here for me too, so I wasn't alone in this."

"I'm glad to hear that."

"I'm glad to see you're all right," Mrs. Rodgers said.

"Yeah me too," Alexis said.

"Thank you. Also thank you for looking out for her," my aunt said.

"It was no problem. Like I said to your dad and Emily last night, you're like family," Mrs. Rodgers said.

My aunt nodded and said, "Well thank you, it means a lot."

Mrs. Rodgers nodded and said, "We'll leave you two alone. We'll pick Emily up in about an hour or two."

"Okay," my aunt said.

Alexis and Mrs. Rodgers said see you later and promptly left the room, leaving my aunt and I alone together. My aunt scooted over carefully and patted the spot next to her. I got up onto the hospital bed and sat with my aunt, resting my head on her shoulder.

As she smoothed my hair with her right hand, she said, "How much sleep did you get?"

"Enough, Alexis let me sleep with her, so it was comforting," I said.

"I'm glad."

"Do you remember anything?"

"No Emily, I don't. I barely remember the gun shot."

"Oh, I guess that's kind of a good thing."

"Yeah, I think so."

"Did Josh talk to you?"

"Yeah, he was here with me earlier."

"Oh."

"You don't like Josh?'

"Not really."

"Why?"

I looked up at my aunt and shrugged, "I don't know, I just don't think he's right for you."

My aunt smirked slightly, "Oh, yeah, who do you think is right for me?"

"I don't know, maybe Castle."

"Ha, no I don't think so Emily. Right now I'm trying to distance myself from him."

"Why?"

"I just need time to think. It's grown up stuff Emily. Especially after this I need some time to myself."

"Okay."

"I'm thinking of staying at my dad's cabin for a while until I recuperate."

"Can I come?"

"I was thinking once I get out of here, we'll stay home for a bit until I'm up for it, then maybe you could stay the first week with me. Just to spend some much needed time together."

"Sounds good."

She smiled and said, "Yeah it does."

"I love you Aunt Kate."

"I love you too Emily."

* * *

I spent a few days at Castle's until my aunt was released from the hospital. Something felt off about Castle though, I felt like I was missing something. So I went to confront him about it.

"Castle?" I asked him.

"Yeah, mini Beckett," he said.

"Did something happen at the funeral?" I asked him.

"Why would you ask that? You don't have amnesia again, do you?"

"No not the major thing, but you seem lost. I wondered if there was a piece missing to the story."

"Nope, there's nothing else. I'm just glad your aunts alive and well, and getting out tomorrow."

"Are you sad because she doesn't want to see you right now?"

"Of course, but I know she needs her space."

"Yeah. Just so you know Castle, I can see the way you look at my aunt. I know you have more feelings for her then you let on. I think she'll see it someday."

"How can you possibly see that?"

"Easily, I learned how to read people when I lived in the slums. Don't worry Castle, things will fall through."

"You're too smart for your age."

"I know, but what would you guys do without me."

"Probably the same thing."

I giggled, "Yeah probably."

"Go get ready, your grandpa will be here to pick you up soon."

"Okay."

I ran over to Castle and gave him a big hug, "Don't give up Castle."

"I'll try," he whispered.

I finished getting ready and my grandpa picked me up to stay the night at his place.

* * *

When my Aunt Kate got out, she rested at her apartment for a month until she felt fully rested and was able to get up and walk around without getting winded easily. She had about three months of leave for work, so she was going to finish the last two months at grandpa's cabin.

The first week in September came quickly and we went to grandpa's cabin to spend time together. She looked a hundred times better than she did just a month ago. On the first night, I wanted to stay with my aunt, so we snuggled together in bed and my aunt and I were comforted by the presence of one another.

It was pretty boring here at the cabin and there was so many bugs, but I didn't care, we got to spend a whole bunch of bonding time together. I only get a week here because I can't miss a lot of school, which totally sucks. She said I could visit during the weekends and stuff, but I didn't want to be apart.

I hope I never have to go through something like this again, but I have a feeling there is going to be a lot more heartache in my future. Hopefully it's not death, I don't think I'd be able handle it.


	20. Chapter 20

AN: Thank you again to everyone for following, favouring, and reviewing this story. Here's the next chapter everybody, enjoy. Don't forget to Review. :)

Disclaimer: I do not own Castle or it's characters.

* * *

Three, Two, One…Murder!

It's been a few weeks since my Aunt Kate went back to work and worked things out with Castle. I still feel like there is something off, it's not the same as before. I met the new captain, her nickname is "Iron Gates". She scares me and I don't want to get on her bad side.

We were on our way to a crime scene at one of the local film studios. I wondered who died the whole time, if it was a celebrity, it would be awful, but cool. If it was just some crew member it wouldn't get much attention from the press. We arrived and I walked in between Castle and my Aunt Kate.

I looked around the set and it looked really familiar. I had a feeling I've seen this show before, but I couldn't place it. That's when we were ushered to the body of a very familiar face any young kid would recognize.

"That's Andy Randy," I said.

"You know him?" my aunt asked.

"Yeah, he's only the host of the best kids show on TV. I watched it every day when I was little, I stopped watching it once I hit the second grade."

"Hey I remember this guy, I think Alexis watched it when she was younger. He did these weird puppet shows and have on real exotic animals. He was a real riot," Castle said.

"He was awesome, I can't believe he's dead," I said.

"Well it's certainly odd," my aunt said.

"This can't be happening, we were supposed to film the rest of the show today," a man in dark glasses and a suit said.

"Excuse me, I'm detective Beckett," my aunt said to the guy.

"Oh, hey do you know when we'll have this cleared and we could finish shooting?" the man asked.

"No, right now this whole place is an open crime scene and you seem more interested in the show, than your dead actor," my aunt said with annoyance.

"Listen, Andy was a great guy, one of the best actors I've worked with, but if we don't meet the deadline for this finale show, we're screwed out of hundreds of thousands of dollars," he said.

"I know, but if we don't do our job and handle this accordingly, this will be much worse than losing some money," my aunt said.

"All right, fine. Please just find who did this," he said.

"What's your name sir?" my aunt asked.

"Brett Welkins, Andy's manager and director of this show," Brett said.

"Well Brett I may need to talk to you again, so stay in touch," my aunt said.

"Yeah, sure. Whatever you need," he said and walked away.

"Well he seemed really sympathetic," Castle said.

"Yeah, guys like him are a pain to work with in investigations," my aunt said.

"I totally understand," Castle said.

While my aunt was trying to get information off of people with Castle by her side, I decided to walk around the studio. I went through props and looked at old photos from past seasons and it was really cool. Who would have thought I'd ever be on the set of one of my favorite childhood shows.

I overheard some crew members and staff talking, and I decided to eavesdrop.

"Can you believe it's the last show? Fifteen years and now it's over. Too bad Andy isn't going to see it," a black-haired lady said.

"I know it's a shame, he was a nice guy. Who would kill him?" a pink haired man said.

"Yeah, it is. I hope the cops figure this out, but what are we going to do for the last show?" a girl with short blonde hair asked.

"I heard that the writers and Brett were thinking of putting a little memoriam in and have real fans and old guests say goodbye," the man with pink hair said.

"Sounds like a good idea, it will be straight from the heart and authentic to have a group of people who fell in love with the show and have been on," the blonde said.

"Yeah," the other two said in unison.

"Attention everyone, I want to see you all back here tomorrow at 8:00am sharp, we'll start thinking of something for the rest of our series finale. Go home, get some rest, and remember Andy," Brett said.

Everyone murmured amongst themselves while grabbing their belongings. I maneuvered through people, trying to get back to my aunt, but I took a wrong turn. I wound up in another prop department and saw my favorite puppet from the show.

"Bubbles, the orangutan," I said.

I touched the puppet and the orange fur was soft just like I imagined.

"You like Bubbles?" a man with glasses asked.

"Yeah, he's my favorite character on the show," I said.

"Glad to meet a little fan, I'm the voice actor for Bubbles and also Bingo the Dingo," the man said.

"Awesome, I love Bingo the Dingo too," I said smiling.

"Cool, my names Dillan. I started on this show when I was eighteen. Can't believe it's over," he said looking sad.

"Yeah, I pretty much grew up on it."

"Yeah, I was so happy when they asked me to be a part of this project. Fifteen best years of my life and got good pay too. Andy was like a mentor to me because I was young and it was my first real acting job."

"Really?"

"Uh-huh, they saw me at a college show we put on at the mall. They thought my character, Bubbles, was really good and thought it be great for their new kid show. I was ecstatic and ever since then I've been in show-biz."

"Cool, seems like a dream come true."

"Yeah, a bit, but we had our issues. When the show started to tank a few years ago, we knew it would be any day that it will end. Emotions have been high and everyone's been tense."

"Do you think someone on the set killed him?"

"Probably, I don't know why, but they must've had some kind of reason."

"Yeah that's true."

"Emily!" I heard my aunt's voice call.

My eyes widened and I said, "I have to go, nice meeting you Dillan."

"You too Emily."

I quickly jogged back to the front where I found my aunt looking at me with frustration.

"Where were you?" she asked.

"I ran into Dillan, one of the voice actors for some puppets on the show. We were talking," I said.

"Don't wander off like that Emily. I don't want you getting hurt."

"Fine, I'll be careful."

We arrived at the precinct and my aunt was getting filled in by Esposito and Ryan, on some new information about the case. I looked over to captain Gates office and saw she was working on paper work.

"She scares you?" Castle asked.

"Oh yeah," I said.

"Me too," Castle said.

We chuckled and heard Aunt Kate say, "Castle, we're going to Andy's home."

"Can I come?" I asked.

"No I'm dropping you off at home. You have homework to do," she said.

"Aww…Please Aunt Kate," I said.

"No Emily, now come on," she said.

I followed them towards the elevator and we eventually got to the car and she drove me home.

* * *

I was home and sitting at the coffee table doing some math homework. I decided to watch TV while doing my boring mountain of homework and I found reruns of Andy Randy's Land of the Dandy. Since I haven't seen it since I was a kid, it was actually kind of really weird and childish.

I finished my homework around dinner time and just when I looked in the fridge for some food, I got a knock at the door. I opened it up to see Castle standing there with a big white paper bag in his hand and a grin on his face.

"Did someone order some spaghetti and dinner rolls?" Castle asked.

"No, but I'll sure take it, I'm starving," I said.

"Great, your aunt said I should come check on you and bring you dinner."

"Cool. I love spaghetti."

"Good, because this wouldn't be too good if you didn't."

"Yeah, I guess not."

We laughed and Castle came into the apartment. He brought the food to the kitchen and we ate together, having a conversation about the case. He told me the details of what they've found so far and right now they only have two suspects, Dillan and Brett. I hoped it wasn't Dillan he seemed so nice when I met him earlier, but the nice ones could always be the culprit.

Castle and I watched movies together until it was bed time and he decided to stay over and keep me company. I went to bed and Castle was going to snooze on the couch.

* * *

The next day I woke up and walked out to the living room, finding Castle sleeping. One leg and one arm was dangling off the couch and his face was smushed into the cushion. He was snoring lightly and the sight made me chuckle.

I sat on the on the coffee table and poked Castle in the nose. He scrunched his face with a small laugh and then went back to snoring. I sighed and poked him again.

He giggled and said, "Stop Kate."

My eyes went wide and I was shocked, happy, and a little spooked, but was Castle thinking of my Aunt Kate. I guess Castle really did like my aunt, I hope she'll take him soon because he'll only wait for her for so long.

"Castle!" I yelled.

Castle jumped up startled and fell off the couch with a soft thud.

He looked up, glaring at me and said, "Emily, never wake me up when I'm having a good dream."

"Was it about my aunt?" I asked.

"What!? Nooo… It was about princesses and Dragons," he said awkwardly.

"Was my aunt a princess and you her knight in shining armor?"

"All right, let's move off that subject, I wasn't dreaming of your aunt. Want some breakfast?"

"Okay. I'd love some breakfast."

"Get ready we'll go to a diner near the station and then see if they've gotten any further with the case."

I got ready and we went to the diner to get breakfast. I got a stack of waffles and Castle got some eggs, bacon and hash browns. We ate and talked about different entertaining topics to pass the time. Eventually we finished and headed off to the precinct to get some info on the case. Outside the precinct was tons of news reporters and newspaper people, trying to get the scoop on a famous death.

We passed through them and headed inside, hoping on the elevator to get to their floor. We went to Aunt Kate's desk where everyone was standing around talking to one another.

"Hey Castle and Mini Beckett," Esposito said.

"Hi," we said together.

"What's going on?" Castle asked.

"We have Brett in interrogation, we think he was behind it because apparently in the event of Andy's death, he would automatically get half of Andy's fortunes. Which is worth 25.3 million dollars," my aunt said.

"Yeah, and since Andy had no prospective benefactor to give his money too, he gave everything in his will to Brett," Ryan said.

"Wow all that for some money," Castle said.

"Yeah, killing for money is a major motive in cases like these," my aunt said.

"True, so is it over? Case closed," Castle asked.

"Not exactly, he had an accomplice, but he won't say who," Esposito said.

"Actually I think I can help," we heard a man say.

We turned to see Dillan standing there with a bullet wound in his arm.

"Here sit, in my seat," my aunt said ushering him to her desk chair.

"Thanks he said as he sat down holding his wound.

"Why didn't you go to a hospital?" Castle asked.

"Because I didn't want her to get away with what she did to Andy," Dillan said.

"Who's she?" my aunt asked.

"Sandra, she's head of the props department. I overheard her on the phone with Brett, it seems like they were intimate with each other. I could tell they were a thing a few years ago, but I didn't know they were going to plot to kill Andy," Dillan said.

"Okay, we'll go find Sandra. Ryan call an ambulance for Mr. Connors, and arrest Mr. Welkins for the murder of Mr. Randy," my aunt said.

They all went their separate ways and I stayed with Dillan.

"I'm glad my favorite puppetmaster is okay," I said and patted him on the back.

"Ow," he grumbled.

"I'm so sorry," I said.

"It's cool, it was an accident. I'm glad I'm all right though too."

"I'm glad it wasn't you."

"Yeah, I could never kill Andy. He was great to me and taught me so many things to take along my life journey. I just wish I could have saved him."

"Yeah, most people wish they could've done more, but sometimes life doesn't work out that way."

"You're a smart kid. Stay in tuned with your knowledge you're going to need it someday."

"I will."

"Oh, before I forget. I was talking to some crew members and since we're having a whole bunch of people for the last segment of the show, would you like to be a part of it?"

"Really me on TV?"

"Yeah."

"That would be awesome. I'll definitely do it."

"Great, glad to have you on board."

"I called for an ambulance, should be here soon," Ryan said.

"Thanks," Dillan said.

"No problem," Ryan said.

Eventually the ambulance came and took Dillan to the hospital. Aunt Kate, Castle, and other officers caught Sandra trying to flee the city. Both of our killers were going to prison and Andy can rest well that we found his murderers.

* * *

The following week came and I was on the set once again. I had light makeup on my face and I was waiting around to be cued for the last shot of the final episode.

"Are you excited?" my aunt asked.

"Yeah, do I look okay? Am I ready for my close up?" I asked.

My aunt chuckled and said, "Yeah, yeah, my little showstopper. You look great."

I laughed and said, "Thanks."

"Hey did you guys try the mini muffins and bagels, they are so good," Castle said while taking a bite of a croissant.

"Castle you visited the catering table three times," my aunt said.

"But it's so good," Castle said.

My aunt shook her head and I said, "You should try the mini hot dogs they are so yummy."

"Ooh, I got to get one of them. Good luck out there mini Beckett," Castle said and walked back over to the catering table.

"Good luck Em. I'm going to keep an eye on Castle, make sure he doesn't stuff himself full of food," my aunt said.

"Okay," I said.

A few minutes later we were called to film the scene and there was about ten of us all together on the set that looked like a cozy house. It only took us three takes to film the shot and if you ask me it came out really well. Hopefully, when it airs next week, it'll look great and I look great.

"You got a natural here Detective Beckett. She could be in Hollywood one day," Dillan said as he walked me over to my aunt and Castle.

"Thank you, I think so too, she's a true character," my aunt said.

"Yeah, she'd definitely make a name for herself on the big screen," Castle chuckled.

"Ha, yeah, I can definitely see the drive in her. I'm happy she was able to do this, I'll see you all around. Good luck Emily," Dillan said and promptly left.

"Well little star, ready to go home?" my aunt asked.

"Yeah," I said.

We left the studio and headed home. I was anxious to see the episode and hoping I pulled it off.

* * *

It was the following Friday and today the finale was airing today. We were all at Castle's place, waiting for the show to start. Alexis, Mrs. Rodgers, Castle, my aunt Kate, Esposito, Lanie, Ryan, and I were all gathered around the living room. It finally started and we all sat there watching the last parts Andy got to film before his death.

The hour show finally was nearing a close and the memoriam played for him. After it ended my part came on and everyone watched closely:

"I'm Emily and I grew up watching this show just like some of the others here and you at home. I'm here with all the best guests, characters and fans of this show, giving a big dandy goodbye to Andy," I said.

"Yes, we are. We're glad to have a fan like others signing off the show. We'll miss you Andy," Bubble the orangutan said from beside me.

"Yes we will, Andy, rest in peace, you'll be missed. From everyone here and me this is Andy Randy's Land of the Dandy signing off, stay sweet like candy. Bye," I said.

We all waved and the scene faded to black, they placed his picture on the black ground and under it, it had his name and 1967-2011. Everyone clapped once it was over and I smiled happily. Maybe I do have a knack for being on TV.

"Good job Mini Beckett, you were great," Castle said.

Everyone agreed with their own comments and I felt over the moon. Hopefully everyone at school got to see it, maybe I can rub it in Hayley's face, but my aunt told me to be civil with her, but a little gloating never hurt anybody. Well at least I hope so, maybe I should ask my aunt if anyone's ever been murdered for gloating.


	21. Chapter 21

AN: This chapter is based off of Season 4 Episode 9 "Kill Shot". Thank you again to everyone for following, favouring, and reviewing this story. Here's the next chapter everybody, enjoy. Don't forget to Review. :)

Disclaimer: I do not own Castle or it's characters.

* * *

Showing Symptoms

My aunt has been acting really strange lately. I think she's still dealing with the issues of getting shot through the chest. Sometimes I catch her starring at her scar in the mirror, I try to avoid her knowing that I know she does that, but she looks so sad sometimes.

Sometimes I even see her touching it and I wonder if it's consciously or unconsciously. I was getting ready for school and eating breakfast when my aunt dropped a mug on the floor. We both jumped at the loud sound and unexpected moment.

"Shoot," my aunt said cleaning the mess.

"Do you need help?" I asked.

"No I got it, I don't want you to cut yourself."

"Okay."

My aunt took me to school and it was a really boring day. We had a test and it started raining so we couldn't go out for recess. After school, I went home and started doing some homework. I turned on the TV and the news was on. I was about to turn it, but it started talking about a local sniper terrorizing our streets.

I wondered how my aunt was feeling about this. I hoped it wasn't bringing back her worst memory. I decided to head to the precinct to see how she was handling it. I road my skateboard to the precinct and I went to her floor. When I got there, it looked like they just finished up a meeting. I saw Castle and Ryan, but I didn't see my Aunt Kate anywhere.

"Emily, what are you doing here?" Castle asked.

"I saw the news. I wanted to know if my aunt was okay," I said.

"I don't know, I think its brining up her sniper memories."

"Do you think she has PTSP? She's been acting strange."

"You mean PTSD?"

"Yeah that."

"I think she does, but she's trying hard to fight it. I could tell she's bothered by this case."

"I hope she's okay."

"Me too."

"I should head home."

"You should stay. We don't know who or where the sniper will strike next. I think it's best for you to stay and wait for me or your aunt to take you home."

"Okay."

I stuck around the precinct and I was sitting in one of the rooms with Ryan, Esposito, and Castle. They were talking about my aunt's condition and I really wish I knew how to help her through this, but what's a nine year old supposed to do. They were going through a surveillance tape, trying to find out who stuck a flag on a sign to gage their shot.

Eventually someone showed up on the surveillance video, but you couldn't see his face. Ryan left the room to go find out if victims, coworkers, or friends could recognized the guy. Esposito's phone rang and he answered it. He hung up and told Castle they found out where the sniper shot from.

I got to tag along with Castle and Esposito, heading to the location of where the shooter was. It was in a tall building and the space the shooter was in looked like it was getting remodeled.

"Hey what's that?" I asked pointing to something on the window.

"It's a paper doll," Castle answered as he picked it up.

Castle thought it might have been left by the shooter, but Esposito said it could have been one of the workman's kids. They were discussing where the sniper would have took the shot and Esposito acted it out. Esposito found the shell casing from the gun and it could be the next step in the case.

We went back to the precinct and they tried to get a hit off the print they found on the shell casing. They finally found one and Castle tried to reach my aunt, but she wasn't answering her phone. I was extremely worried for her, I feel like I need to be her rock when she was always mine.

My aunt Kate arrived at the precinct and she looked a little out of it.

"Emily, what are you doing here," my aunt asked.

"I wanted to check on you," I said.

"I'm fine," she said.

The three of them started walking to the elevator and I followed behind. They were filling her in on what they found and who the print belonged too. Esposito got in the elevator, but my aunt stopped short looking completely frazzled. I think Castle noticed too and he told Esposito they'd stay here and brush up on this Ford guy and prep for the interrogation. Esposito agreed and my aunt quickly walked away.

Castle told Esposito a quick "thanks" before the elevator doors closed.

"Do you think she'll be all right?" I asked Castle.

"Yeah, I'm sure she will. Once this case is all sorted out, she'll work through it. Your aunt's a strong woman, she'll get through it, maybe not today, or tomorrow, but someday," Castle said.

"Yeah," I said.

* * *

They found Ford, and I was sitting in my aunt's chair as Castle and my aunt interrogated him. I was hoping he was the killer, so we could finish up this case and my aunt could work through her PTSD. Eventually they came out and Esposito told them that Ford's weapons weren't a match. Then Captain Gates came out and confirmed Ford's alibis.

Captain told my aunt to go back in the interrogation room to get his help and left. They tried to convince my aunt since she was hard on Ford and played bad cop, now Esposito was going to play good cop.

"Okay, fine," my aunt said and walked away.

I was sitting at the desk with my aunt and everything was quiet. My aunt looked at the investigation board and she looked lost in thought. Castle came over and brought her some coffee. He took a seat in the other chair and they started talking about the paper doll, and Castle thinks it might have come from a high end coffee table book.

Esposito came up to us and said that Ford was no help, he couldn't ID the man in the photo. My aunt's phone rang and she said they found the place the sniper shot the other victim. I tagged along and we went into the room where the sniper was. There was another paper doll and Ryan was bagging it.

Esposito found some bull skin and he put it in a bag Ryan held out. My aunt told them to go and they quickly left the room. My aunt started to reminisce on one of the victims, Sarah Vasquez, life and peering out the window. Castle tried to give my aunt a piece of mind that we'll catch this guy. Then she shot back at him about how they didn't find the guy that shot her.

I felt bad for her and she told me to come on. We went home and ate some dinner. The whole night was quiet and I didn't know how to talk to her. I felt like we were pulling away from each other and my aunt seemed to be in a faraway place. I went to bed early and she barely said good night to me.

I fell asleep and later that night I heard my aunt's door open. I wondered if she couldn't sleep. I cracked open my door and watched her fumble around the room in her pajamas and take a seat at the coffee table. She kept pouring herself a glass of liquor and drinking it down like water. My aunt looked awful and completely out of it. I didn't know if I should be scared or concerned, more for her or for me.

I kept watching her, her brown waves of curly hair hanging over her face like a wild woman. She knocked over the coffee table with a scream of terror and I jumped as the glass shattered. She looked around and shut the blinds like someone was out to get her. She said something and grabbed for her gun which was laying in the broken glass.

She pulled herself against the wall between one of her tables and shelves, holding her gun. It looked like she was bleeding, but I was too far away to tell for sure. She was looking around and she looked scared, frightened, and out of control. I stepped out of my room and walked towards her, making sure I watched out for the glass.

"Aunt Kate?" I asked.

She pointed the gun at me and I froze terrified that she was going to shoot me. I felt a tear roll down my cheek and I felt powerless to help my aunt.

"Emily," she said looking around, finally coming back from her memories.

She stood up slowly looking at her arm, which did have blood trickling down it.

"I'm so sorry," she said and pushed her hair back with her other hand.

She took a step toward me and I took a step back.

"Emily, please don't be scared of me. I just had… I just… I'm okay right now."

"What if you do it again?" I whimpered.

"I'm not."

"You don't know that."

She came closer and I tensed, afraid she was going to go back to that dark place. She wrapped me in the arm that wasn't injured and I felt her crying silently. I wrapped my arms around her and we stayed like that for a while. We both needed this moment, just to be close to each other, to feel each other's pain. My aunt told me to go back to bed and she went to clean up her wound.

I didn't want to leave her alone, but I didn't want to make her mad. I did what I was told and I fell asleep soon after.

* * *

When I woke up the next day, my aunt left me a note that said she went to work and I didn't have to go to school today. I ate some breakfast and watched the news on TV. The news was continuing to follow the story on the sniper and it made me think of my aunt. I turned the TV off and thought about what to do.

I decided to go see Castle, he always knows what to do. I road my skateboard all the way to Castle's apartment and right when I was about to knock on the door, it swung open revealing Castle.

"Hi Castle," I said.

"Emily, what are you doing here?" he asked as he closed the door behind him.

"I wanted to talk to you," I said.

"Well I was on my way to the precinct," he said.

"We can talk on the way."

"Okay," he said and we started walking towards the elevator.

We got to the street and started walking towards the precinct.

"So Mini Beckett, What did you want to talk to me about?" he asked.

"My aunt was acting crazy last night and I wanted to know what I should do. How can I help her?"

"I don't know, Emily. I think your aunt needs to do this on her own and also with her therapist. You mainly just have to be there for her when she needs it. You need to be good and not get into any trouble, keep her stress level down."

"Yeah that sounds like a good plan. Did they find anything yet?"

"I don't know, but Alexis helped me decode the paintings in the two different paper dolls."

"Really? That's great, but how does that help?"

"If we break down the paintings and their names, we find the street names that link to where the next murder will take place."

"So each painting has a name that corresponds with the street he's planning his next hit."

"Exactly."

"Nice work."

"Thanks, but I couldn't have done it without Alexis."

"She's smart."

"Yeah."

We arrived at the precinct and Castle ran down his theory to everyone. They all seemed to understand and except the concept. Then the phones started ringing off the hooks and I knew that that couldn't be good. They all headed out the door and I had to stay behind because it was still an active scene.

* * *

I was sitting at my aunts desk and I kind of overheard Castle say my aunt was spiraling out of control and she shouldn't be on this case. Apparently she had a little moment while talking to the victim and ran off. I bet it didn't help that the new victim had the same name as me. My aunt walked over to her desk slowly and looked at me.

"You should go home," she said.

"I don't want to," I said.

"Emily, go home," she said sternly.

"Beckett," Esposito said.

"Yeah," she said.

"Come with me for a sec," he said.

"Okay. Emily, go home," she said and they walked off.

I decided to do what my aunt said and go home. Like Castle said, I don't need to cause her any more stress. I went home and as it got later and later, I decided to eat some left overs and I fell asleep on the couch waiting for my aunt to come home.

* * *

I woke up the next day and my aunt didn't come home last night, so I figured that they were still working hard on the case. I decided to stay home, I didn't want to get in the way of this case and I thought it was best for me to be in the house, just in case the sniper is on the prowl. I ate some cereal and watched cartoons, staying away from the news because I didn't want to hear any more about the sniper.

Later that day my aunt came home and smiled softly at me. That smile was a welcoming change that I was very happy to see, I don't think we shared a smile for the past week.

"Did you catch him?" I asked.

"Yes, Esposito took him down," she said.

"That's great," I said.

"Yeah," she nodded.

She sat next to me and pulled me close to her body and she said, "Emily, I love you so much. You know that right?"

"I know Aunt Kate. I love you too," I said.

She stroked my hair comfortingly and said, "I know this past week has been hard on us. Even the past four months since the shooting, but I'm working on it. I'm trying to overcome this PTSD and I know you're concerned about me. I want to thank you for being by my side through this, I know it's tough, and I'm sorry for the other night."

"It's okay Aunt Kate, I understand. It turns the tables on how you're always concerned about me."

"Yeah, but you shouldn't have to be concerned about me. You're just a young girl, you should have happy moments, not sad and crazy ones."

"It's cool, I'm used to it and I wouldn't trade it for the world."

"Just try not to get too used to it. Like I always say, just be a kid."

"Okay."

"Can I ask you a serious question, Em?"

"Sure."

"Are you okay? Not just from everything that's been happening lately, but with your mom, the kidnapping, and memory loss."

"Yeah, I'm fine. Why?"

"This situation made me experience the most terrible memories I could even think of. I just wanted to make sure you're okay after everything you've been through."

"I promise Aunt Kate, I'm fine. I have you to lean on and if I ever feel lost or scared, I know I can come to you."

"Okay, I'm glad you feel that way."

"Can we get dinner from that Italian place?"

"All right. All right, we'll get dinner from there."

"Yay."

She laughed and gave me a kiss on the forehead. We ordered dinner and they brought it in about fifteen minutes. We ate and talked like we used to do before everything happened. I'm glad everything worked out well and hopefully my aunt gets through her PTSD and we'll be okay.


	22. Chapter 22

AN: Thank you again to everyone for following, favouring, and reviewing this story. Here's the next chapter everybody, enjoy. Don't forget to Review. :)

Disclaimer: I do not own Castle or it's characters.

* * *

Had Enough

I was at school, biting at my pencil, while taking a math test. It was basic multiplication and it was pretty simple, there was only two questions that stumped me, but I got through it. I went to go turn it in, but on my way to the teacher's desk I tripped over a foot. There was only one person in front of me, Hailey. I glared at her and she smirked as she stared at her paper.

"Emily, please be careful. Are you okay?" Ms. Biscuit asked.

"I'm fine," I said as I stood up.

"All right, turn in your paper and sit back down, carefully."

I turned in my paper and returned to my seat. I glared at the back of Hailey's head with anger. She's been bugging me since school started and also last year when I came here too. Of course I wasn't to lay a finger on her because I'd get expelled and she's top priority at this school.

"You okay?" Henry whispered.

"Yeah, I'm fine," I whispered back.

He nodded and went back to his test. Eventually it was time for art class and we were all excited. Art was one of the best electives we had, and it helped that Mr. Denton was super fun and nice. We were all sitting in groups of four at a table and mine consisted of Henry, Leo, Blair and I.

At the table next to us was Hailey and her two besties, Chloe and Elizabeth. Also sitting with them was Tony, he was a new student, and was really handsome. The only thing wrong with Tony was that he was just as stuck up as Hailey, apparently his dad owns a billion dollar company and is filthy rich. Hailey was very into Tony and it was annoying watching the two giggle at each other all day.

Today we were painting pictures and talking about the upcoming holiday, Christmas, in a few weeks. I couldn't believe that Christmas was coming around quickly and it'll be my second with my aunt Kate. I've been with her for a whole year and it's been amazing.

Sure I've been through a lot, but I had awesome people to guide me through it. While I was deep in thought, I felt a cold liquid hit my shoulder. Since my hair was in a ponytail, my whole neck and shoulder was exposed, and now covered in red paint. I watched as the red liquid oozed down my neck and shoulder onto my white collared shirt and navy blue long sleeved blazer.

I looked up to see Hailey snickering and as soon as the teacher came over, her face changed drastically.

"I'm so sorry, Mr. Denton. It slipped, I didn't mean too," she said with a small and innocent face.

"It's all right, Hailey. I'll help Emily get it out the best we can," he said.

"Thanks," she said with a small smile.

"She did it on purpose," I said standing up with anger.

"Emily, she apologized. She didn't mean to do this. Apologize to her for accusing her of lying," he said.

"What!? She should apologize to me," I said.

"Emily, apologize or go to the principal's office. Your choice," he said sternly.

I huffed and glared at Hailey, "I'm sorry I called you a liar."

"It's okay, I forgive you," she said with a sickening sweet smile.

"Come on Emily, let's try to remove this paint before it dries," my teacher said as he escorted me to the back of the class where the sink was.

He poured some water on a paper towel and dabbed at my clothes, then my neck, and finally shoulder. After about ten minutes and three wet paper towels, most of the paint was out of my clothes and skin.

"All right that should do it. The rest should come out in the wash, it's not supposed to be stainable paint," Mr. Denton said.

"Thanks Mr. Denton," I said.

"Your welcome. Class start packing up, it's almost time to go back to class," he said.

The whole class groaned and all Mr. Denton did was laugh at us. We all packed up and I couldn't help, but shoot daggers at Hailey the whole time we cleaned up and got our art work together. She also returned my glares with her own demonic ones.

We went back to class and when the last thirty minutes of school came around, our teacher took us outside for recess. The boys went to play some basketball with other students and Blaire and I sat on the swings talking to each other.

Hailey and her snobby posse were walking bye and she kicked sand at my legs. I got up and walked over to her, anger fiercely playing in my eyes.

"What's your problem? Why can't you just leave us alone?" I said in her face.

"You shouldn't be here at our school. You're just a misfit, like you're three other friends. You four will never amount to anything even if you try. While my friends and I here will be living in mansions with hot men, laughing at all you little people," she said with cockiness.

"Your just gonna be a washed up old fart, and be a lonely old women crying her eyes out because she has no real friends. You're going to be the one to get laughed at when all of us are making real money and have nice men to go home too."

"Well, even if it does. I'll still wind up better than you, you'll probably end up like your mother. You'll be doing drugs and overdosing, leaving your little misfit child to start the cycle all over again."

Blaire tried to pull me away and said "Emily, come on."

"No. You know what Hailey, I'm sick of you bothering me, my friends, and everyone else who's been your victim. I'm not gonna take it anymore," I said.

"Fine, but if you do, you're going to be expelled and are going to be flipping burgers for the rest of your life," she said.

I sighed and looked over at Blaire and she shook her head with fright. She knew if I did this, I'd have to leave, but I couldn't let Hailey get away with everything she's done. A crowed was starting to form around us and I knew that the teachers would come break it up soon, this was my only chance.

"I knew she wouldn't do anything, she's a wuss and a misfit. She'll never amount to anything," Hailey snickered.

I finally had enough and my mama always said not to back down from a fight. I went in for the punch and whacked Hailey right in the face. She stumbled and held her face which held anger and tears. She jumped on me and started wailing her fists to my head, I blocked her blows easily remembering what my mama and her boyfriends showed me.

I flipped Hailey over and punched her ferociously. I felt like my whole body was on fire and I could take on the world. I wailed on her hard, barely hearing the chants of "Fight, fight, fight." I continued to punch her unmercifully, not showing a sign of stopping. It's like I've transformed into a whole other person.

I felt arms trying to pull me off of Hailey, but I kept throwing my small fists wildly. I was pulled off roughly and dragged to the other side of the playground. Administrators and teachers were gathered around Hailey and trying to disperse the other students. My PE teacher was looking at me and I was still heaving like a wild animal.

I tried to collect myself, but the adrenaline was still pumping through my body. The teachers and administrators were running around frantically trying to figure out their next step. It looked like a few were on the phone, probably contacting someone.

"Emily Beckett Roswell, come with me now," the security officer, Officer Stan, said as he came up to us.

"You got this?" my PE teacher asked him.

"Yeah," he said.

I followed Officer Stan to the principal's office and all the grownups were looking at me with weary stares. Some of the kids were kind of smirking at me, happy she was put in her place, but others looked frightened, afraid of what I could do to them.

We arrived at the principal's office and I was told to take a seat in front of his desk. Officer Stan left, so he could go help with Hailey, and the principal was staring at me hard.

"Ms. Roswell, I'm ashamed of this behavior. In all my years working here, not once did I ever have a fight. Especially a fight where a student has to be rushed to the ER," he said.

I couldn't speak, everything I've done caught up to me and I was numb at the realization that I went ballistic on Hailey. My aunt was going to be pissed, I've only been in this school for a year and now I'm going to be expelled.

"Do you have anything to say for yourself?" he grumbled.

"No sir," I sniffled out.

"Your aunt is on her way. Stay here, I have to go talk to some people," he said.

He left and I was alone, tears running freely down my face as I stared out the window, showing the front of the building. I watched the barren trees slightly sway in the breeze of the early December weather. An ambulance pulled up and I wondered if I really beat up Hailey that bad. I was ashamed of my actions and knew my mother was making her way out of me.

I had to try to contain myself, I can't end up like my mother. If I do, Hailey would be right and I would fail my aunt completely. I couldn't do that to her, it would break her heart. I heard the door open and the principal walk in with a very pissed off Aunt Kate. She looked livid and I knew I was in for a very wild lecture.

"Emily please leave while I inform your aunt," he said.

I quickly nodded and scooted past my aunt, not sparring her a single glance. I sat in the office and wondered what they were discussing about me. They were probably discussing the fate of me staying in this school, which is probably slim. The other thing is probably the injuries I gave to Hailey. I tipped my head back, looking at the egg white ceiling, hoping my aunt wasn't to mad at me. I hope she'll come through and be semi sentimental with me.

My aunt walked out of the principal's office and grabbed my arm. She pulled me with her to the exit and walked us to the car. We got into her car and drove to the apartment in deafening silence. I was so afraid of her right now, it reminded me of the time I got caught at the warehouse. I never wanted her to be like that again, but it seems like I'm just one big trouble maker.

* * *

We got to her apartment and as soon as we got inside she spoke, "Sit now!"

I sat quietly playing with my bruised and bloody fingers which I still didn't get to wash off.

"I can't believe you did that, Em. I am so disappointed in you right now. I thought I taught you better than that. I tell you to behave and stay in this school, and you pull a stunt like this," she said anger punctuating every word.

"I didn't mean to, Aunt Kate. It was spur of the moment and I barely knew what I was doing until it was too late," I cried.

She pointed a slim finger at me and said, "No Emily, you had every chance to control yourself. You went too far today. You put that little girl in the hospital with a broken nose and several lacerations that will probably need stitches. I am so disappointed in you."

"I'm so sorry Aunt Kate. I'm really sorry. I didn't mean to hurt her, I just couldn't stop."

She shook her head at me and said, "I don't want to hear it Emily. I'm tired of your antics, I'm this close to putting you in an all-girls boarding school. I want you to clean up and change your clothes, then go to your room until I can look at you."

She walked away and went to her room slamming the door behind her. I went to the bathroom and looked at myself in the mirror. I had blood on my face, which was mostly Hailey's and I had a light shiner just under my right eye. I washed my hands and face and I only had one little scrape on my forehead. My fists were bruised from the excessive wailing I did on Hailey and I just shook my head, watching my reflection carefully.

No matter how much I said I wanted to be like my aunt Kate, my mother would make an appearance. My dad shows to, but my mom and I were like two peas in a pod. Even though she was not great to me, we still shared plenty of moments and I'm more like her then I want to admit. I just want to shake her out of my head and eliminate her cruel teachings in my head.

All I was used to for eight years of my life was drugs, mean boyfriends, crazy people, and obsessive fighting. No matter how hard I try to fight it and ignore it, it finds a way to pop back into my life. Maybe I'll never be able to have a normal life and I'll be stuck living like my mother down the road.

I sighed and went to my room where I shut the door softly. I crawled onto my bed and cried into my fluffy pillow. I was a disappointment to my aunt and I'll never be able to get things right. I'll just be another failure she doesn't need in her life. I let her down and I let her down hard.

I think this is the worst thing I've done and I don't think anyone was expecting something like this. If she sends me away to a boarding school, what will that mean for my future? Will I fall off the deep end or will I turn out all right?

I may only be nine years old, but I've never been more worried about my future until right now. I didn't want to leave my aunt or Castle and everyone else I've come close too. I hope my aunt will be able to look at me the same again once this all calms down, but I have a feeling I really messed things up. I might not be able to fix things this time and our special bond will be forever broken.

I think I fell asleep because next thing I know I feel the wait of my bed shift. I looked up with bleary eyes to see my aunt Kate looking at me sadly. She rubbed my back and I spoke softly, "I'm sorry."

"Emily, I'm angry with you, but I know you're deeply sorry about what you did. I thought over it and I knew you didn't want to attend that school in the first place. I know that Hailey girl was a nuisance, but it didn't give you the right to hurt her," she said.

I sat up and leaned against the head board and said, "I know, I just couldn't control myself. I should have made the right decision. I'm a disgrace."

"You are not a disgrace. You might have done something very wrong, but you are far from being a disgrace. If you keep this up though, it will lead to being one, but as of now, you're just a troubled kid. Believe me I wasn't the best either, but I did have more rights than I did wrongs, but I pulled myself together, and look where I am now. Someday this could be you if you just control yourself."

"Okay, I'll really try. You're not sending me away are you?"

"No, I'm not. I couldn't do that to you, you need people who are close to you right now, not be isolated by them. Just a warning though, if you continue this unruly behavior, I might have to."

"I understand, I promise I'll behave, I'll try so hard to stay out of trouble."

"I know you will, you may have your mother and father in you, but you have me too. I know you can fight through these phases and you'll be just fine."

"You think so?"

"I know so. I'll be here to guide you whenever you take the wrong path. Everyone will be here for you, whether you feel down or just alone, don't hesitate to come to one of us. I know everyone cares about you very much and they'd do anything in their power to get you through it."

I hugged my aunt Kate tightly and said, "Thank you so much Aunt Kate. I love you so much. I'm real sorry about all the pain I caused you today."

She stroked my back softly and said, "You are very welcome, Emily. You didn't cause me any pain today, I know what happened and I completely understand. It might have been a horrible thing to do, but you know what you've done. I love you too Emily. Don't think I'll ever give up on you."

"Okay," I said still hugging her.

* * *

A few days later my aunt and I went on a tons of errands to do pertaining to my incident. We picked up my school stuff from the front office, then we signed up at a public school only about two blocks from her apartment, and now I'm in the pediatric unit of the hospital.

"Do I have to do this?" I whined.

"Yes, Em. You put her in the hospital and broke her nose, it's the least you can do," she said.

"Can't I just write her a card?"

"No, face to face is the best way to apologize, now come on."

We walked into her room and she was talking to her mother. I wanted to bolt out of the room, but I knew I had to do the right thing and apologize.

"I don't want to see that little demon in here," Mrs. Florence said angrily.

"I assure you Mrs. Florence, we'll be out of your hair in no time. Emily just wanted to apologize," my aunt said.

"Fine, but she has two minutes and has to stay at least five feet away," she said.

"Fine," my aunt said with irritation.

"I'm sorry for what I did Hailey. I didn't mean to break your nose and have you get stitches in your face. I went over board and I shouldn't have punched you in the first place. If I could do it over, I'd have been a bigger person and walked away, but I didn't. I'm sorry and I hope you'll forgive me," I said.

"Its fine, guess I deserved it," she mumbled.

I raised a brow and said, "Huh?"

"Hailey, don't say that," Mrs. Florence said with shock.

"It's true, mom. I've been horrible to her and a lot of others. She is the only person who did something about it, even though it was a horrible thing, I understand," Hailey said.

"Whoa, I totally didn't see that coming. I'm glad you accept my apology and understand my dilemma," I said.

My aunt nudged me and gave me a stern look. I smiled sheepishly up at her and gave a slight shrug.

"Well, I guess that was settled. Now please leave before I decide to press any charges for hurting my baby," Mrs. Florence said.

"Mom drop it," Hailey sighed.

Her mom gasped and we snickered as we left the room. As we walked down the hospital hall I spoke up, "looks like they have their own issues."

"Yeah, everyone has something," my aunt said.

"Yeah, I guess that's true."

"I'm proud of you Em, for apologizing like a grown up."

"Yeah, it was hard, but I knew it was the right thing."

My aunt pulled me into her side as we walked and said, "Yeah, I know. Sometimes you just have to do it whether you want to or not."

"Yeah, I know. Thanks for being supportive, "I said looking up at her.

"No problem, Emily. I'd do anything for you."

"So we're going straight home?"

"Yep, you're grounded for a long while."

"Awesome," I groaned.

She laughed and we went home with the strong bond we have between us. Hopefully I'll never tarnish that bond with another outburst like this.


	23. Chapter 23

AN: Thank you again to everyone for following, favouring, and reviewing this story. Here's the next chapter everybody, enjoy. Don't forget to Review. :)

Disclaimer: I do not own Castle or it's characters.

* * *

Public School

Today was my first day at my new school. I was so happy to be back in public school, I didn't have to wear a weird uniform or have any snobby kids being jerks. Of course we still have bullies and troublemakers, but it's still my natural habitat. I was wearing a long sleeved dark blue shirt, black jeans, and my black Vans.

I was bouncing up and down with anticipation in the passenger seat, I just couldn't control myself.

"Emily, calm down," my aunt said as she drove us to the front of the school.

"I can't, I'm so excited," I said.

"You really like public school?"

"Yeah, it's way cooler than private school. Not that private school doesn't have its perks too, I just feel more at ease here."

"I guess I understand. Just don't get into any trouble."

"I won't I promise Aunt Kate. My fighting days are over."

She smiled and said, "Well I'm glad to hear that."

"Do you think I'll make any friends?"

"I know you will, you're a sweet kid and very outgoing. You'll make tons of friends."

"Thanks Aunt Kate."

"No problem."

We pulled up to the front of the school and it looked old, rundown, and kids were running around like wild children.

"Cool," I said.

"Em, be careful, be good, and don't give into peer pressure," my aunt Kate said, looking worriedly at the shenanigans going on out front.

"I'll be fine, don't worry."

"Okay, have a good day Em."

"Okay, you too Aunt Kate."

I grabbed my back pack and got out of the car. I walked past some skater boys and they were doing sweet tricks. Then I walked past some girls making an awesome drawing out of chalk. I think I was going to like it here.

Since I was already assigned my class when we signed up last week, I went straight there. I got to room 118 and my teacher, Mr. Linden, greeted me at the door and he seemed like a nice guy. He was probably in his early thirties, and he had a nice checkered shirt with jeans on.

"Hi, you must be Emily. It's nice to meet you," he said with a friendly smile.

I returned the smile and said, "Hi, nice to meet you Mr. Linden."

"Go ahead and put your back pack in the cubby and take out a notebook. Then have a seat, I assigned you desk number 12."

"Okay thank you."

I went over to the green cubbies and the cubby numbers matched our desk number. I stuck my backpack in number 12 and took out my purple note book with a pencil. I sat at my desk and waited for class to start. A boy sat next to me and said, "Long time no see, Emmy."

"Mike!? I'm so happy to see you. What are you doing here?" I asked with excitement.

He giggled and said, "Me too. I got transferred after we moved. What are you doing here?"

"Oh, cool. I got expelled after a fight at my private school."

"No way, bet you kicked their butt."

"Yeah, I did. I sent her to the hospital."

"Whoa, I always knew you were tough, but wow. Remind me to never get on your bad side."

"Don't worry Mike, no matter how much you drive me crazy, I'll never hurt you."

"Nice to know."

"How's Leon and Stitch?"

"Leon's good, he got held back, and has to do seventh grade over again. Stitch got sent to live with his father in Colorado."

"Aww, poor Stitch. Leon got held back?"

"I know, but Stitch's mom got put in the slammer again. Leon's grades sucked, so he had to stay back. Mom and Dad were so angry with him, they're making him take tutoring sessions after school."

"Oh wow, seems like I missed one hectic year."

"Yeah, you missed a lot since you went to that other school. You never came around to the skate park anymore."

"I know, I'm sorry. My life was just going in a different direction, but I'm back and never leaving again."

"I hope so, I need my partner in crime."

"Well, I might not be able to help too much. My aunt's been on me, and after the stunt I just pulled at my private school, I'm on thin ice. I have to watch what I do."

"I understand, our parents have been strict on us too. They're threatening to send Leon to military school. I don't know what's been bugging them, but they're getting tough."

"Yeah, I understand."

The bell rung and Mike and I stopped talking, so we didn't get into trouble. Mr. Linden started talking about a reading assignment and thankfully at my school we already did this. It was easy for me to jump right in, they didn't even do half of the stuff we did at my old school. It felt good that I was ahead of the curriculum.

Eventually it was lunch time and this time I didn't have a bully knocking me over or skipping in line. I bought the school lunch which was chicken tenders, corn, mashed potatoes, and I got a carton of chocolate milk. Mike walked me to our table and I sat between him and another boy who was in our class.

"Emmy, this is Shawn. Shawn this is my old friend Emmy," Mike said.

"Nice to meet you," I said.

"You too," Shawn said with a smile.

"She rides too. Maybe we could all hang out at the skate park together," Mike said.

"That would be awesome," I said.

"Yeah, I'm down for that," Shawn said.

"So Emmy, how's living with a detective?" Mike asked.

"It's cool, I've seen some crazy things, done crazy things, and been through crazy things. It's been a wild ride," Is aid.

"You live with a detective?" Shawn asked.

"Yeah," I said.

"Wait? Are you the one who got kidnapped and your aunts the one who got shot?" Shawn asked.

"Yeah, that's me," I said.

"Cool," he said.

"Yeah, Emmy here has been through so much. She's is so cool," Mike said.

"Thanks Mike," I said.

"No problem," he smiled.

We ate together and talked about skateboarding, school, and video games. I was having a blast with my friend and new friend. I didn't think I'd run into anybody here or make a friend, but now I have two people that I can hang out with. We went back to class after lunch and Mr. Linden actually turned our math studies into a fun game.

Everyone who guessed correctly got some kind of mini candy. I really liked this class and even if I could, I don't think I'd ever want to go back to private school. After our math studies, he took us out for recess. The playground and courtyard weren't as nice as the one at my private school, but it was a playground and it was fun.

Shawn, Mike, and I played hide and seek and it was easy to guess their hiding spots. They never found me during the two rounds I was hiding, I was made for this game. Eventually recess ended and we headed back to class. For the last ten minutes, we watched a short little video cartoon about science.

We left class once the dismissal bell rang and Mr. Linden gave each and every one of us a high five as we left the room. This dude was really interactive and entertaining, I think he's one of the best teachers I've had. I walked to the front where I stood on the stoop with Mike.

"Is someone picking you up?" Mike asked.

"No I'm walking," I said.

"Oh, cool. Me too, guess I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Yeah, see you tomorrow."

Mike walked off and I went the other way, heading to my aunt's house. As I was walking a car pulled up alongside me and the window rolled down.

"Need a ride, mini Beckett?" Castle asked.

"I'm not allowed to get in a random car with a strange man," I smirked.

"Ha-ha, come on Emily. You know me," Castle said.

"That's my point."

"You definitely are turning into your aunt."

I gigged and said, "Yeah."

"Come on, I'll take you home."

I opened the door and got inside the car. I put on my seat belt and Castle rolled the window back up.

"So Castle, what are you doing here?" I asked.

"I was heading home and your aunt asked if I could pick you up," he said with a shrug.

"Cool, thanks Castle."

"No problem mini Beckett."

He started driving and it was silent for a little while. Castle spoke up and said, "So, how was your first day at your new school? Didn't get into any fights, did you?"

"No, I didn't get into any fights. School was great though and my teacher was so nice and awesome. I also ran into an old friend and he introduced me to another kid," I said with joy.

"Wow, sounds good. I'm glad you like it there."

"Yeah me too."

We arrived at my aunt's apartment and Castle walked me to the door.

"Thanks for the ride Castle, I appreciate it," I said.

"No problem, Emily. I'd do it any time. I'd love to stick around here, but I have to finish a few chapters of my next book," he said.

"Okay, I don't mind. I'll see you around, Castle."

"I'll see you around Emily. Stay out of trouble," he said with a slight smile.

"I'll try."

He gave me a quick hug and went on his way. I went inside and got started on my math and English homework. It was pretty simple since I already did most of these problems and questions at my old school. I was finished in no time and I decided to break out my electric guitar that I received on my birthday.

I was getting lessons for a little while from someone my aunt hired, but they moved away after they got married to their boyfriend of eight years. I plugged my guitar into the amp and tried a few chords. It sounded like a cat trying to claw out of a heavy metal container. I admit I still need a lot of practice, but I was going to figure it out sooner or later.

I messed around with it, trying to tune it and trying to hit the right chords, but it was no use. Every time I worked with it, I seemed to make things worse. The door opened to the apartment, but I didn't even notice it. I strummed the guitar once more to see if got things right, but it sounded like a screeching bird on a hot summer day.

My aunt was holding her ears and said, "Geez, Em. Are you trying to make us deaf?"

"Sorry," I said with a small pout.

"It's okay. I'm sure you'll get the hang of it eventually. Maybe we can start looking for a new guitar teacher."

"That would be great. I really want to master it."

"I know, I'm sure you'll get there. Even if you don't master it, you'll still be able to play a little something."

"Yeah," I said while putting the guitar down.

"How was school?" she asked.

"It was great! My teacher's the best, I ran into my old friend Mike, and met his friend Shawn. I even knew most of the curriculum already. I'm so happy here Aunt Kate."

"I'm happy you like it there, Em. I hope this school will be better for you."

"Yeah, I think it will."

"Me too. Did you finish your homework?"

"Yeah I did, it was easy."

"Good job, Em."

"Thanks. Castle picked me up after school."

"I'm glad he did. I was hoping he would when I told him. You really like Castle don't you?"

"Of course he's awesome. Do you like him?"

"Well yeah, he's like my partner. He's been tagging along for four years now. He may get on my nerves a lot, but he's really nice to hang out with sometimes."

"How comes you're pushing him away?"

"What?"

"You're pushing him away. He's been around for four years and ever since the incident, you seem to be pulling away."

"Em, I'm not pulling away. I'm not going to discuss this with you either. This is grown up stuff."

"Seems childish to me," I mumbled.

"Emily, drop it. I wanted to get through the day without an incident. I don't want to extend your grounding."

"I'm sorry."

"It's fine. I know you like Castle a lot, but this is our business."

"I know, but can I ask just one question?"

"Okay."

"Do you like him or maybe even love him?"

"He's just a coworker and a friend. Let's eat some dinner."

My aunt turned and walked away towards the kitchen. I couldn't help, but notice a slight glimmer behind her hazel eyes. I wondered if she was hiding her true feelings, and not just from all of us, but from herself too. She'll come to terms with it sooner or later, but hopefully it's before Castle decides he can't wait anymore.

I turned off my thoughts about my aunt's dwindling romance with Castle, and followed her into the kitchen, deciding to stick with the topic of the first day at my new school.


	24. Chapter 24

AN: Thank you again to everyone for following, favouring, and reviewing this story. Here's the next chapter everybody, enjoy. Don't forget to Review. :)

Disclaimer: I do not own Castle or it's characters.

* * *

Out to get me

It was finally winter break, those few weeks of no school and holiday's filled with joy. Christmas was coming fast, only five days away, and we just got our tree from the local tree farm. It was huge and it almost didn't fit in our living room. Castle helped us bring it in and it seems like they're patching up whatever's going on between them, but it still felt like there was an elephant in the room.

Why are grown up problems so confusing? Sometimes I feel like they're acting like children, not expressing their true feelings to each other, but who am I to get between my adult counterparts. Maybe I should sneak some mistletoe into the house or the precinct and get my aunt and Castle to kiss. Hmm… not a bad idea, I'll put that on my to-do list.

I was wrapping a present I bought my aunt since she was at the precinct. I was going to wait, but in case she gets a day off and I don't have the time, it'll be all done. Castle helped me pick it out and he paid for half of it too. I bought my aunt a small silver bracelet that had my name engraved on it, so she'll always have me with her.

Once I finished my sloppy wrapping job, I stuck on a label with our names on it, and put it under the brightly lit tree. My aunt said she probably won't be home until tomorrow, so for dinner I had some soup, and then afterwards, I turned on the TV when breaking news cut into the programing.

The news anchor started reading from the prompt with complete seriousness, "Good evening everyone, we have breaking news coming from the local maximum security prison, where three inmates have just escaped. We go to Dan Hound with the latest."

Dan came on at the local prison and started speaking, "Thank you, Steven. Police just confirmed that three high security inmates have broken out of this facility. We do not know all the escapees names at this time, but one is said to be Paul Langton who was arrested four years ago for armed robbery and one count of manslaughter. When more information comes to us we'll let you know."

"Thank you Dan. As they gather more information, we have a picture to show you of the inmate Paul Langton, he's approximately 5'9, brown hair, green eyes, and has a scar on his left temple. Please stay alert and call authorities if you spot this man or anyone who appears to be an escapee," Steven said.

They showed the picture of Paul along with the number to the authorities. They also showed some basic information about where he may be and to stay indoors. I couldn't believe some people broke out of prison, it's very scary, yet kind of exciting. I wonder if my aunt and the precinct are helping out.

The phone started ringing and I quickly answered it with a simple, "Hello."

"Emily, you okay?" my aunt asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine," I said.

"Good, make sure you lock everything up. Your window, my window, and the door. Okay, Em?"

"Yeah, I got it. Is it because of the prisoners who escaped?"

"Yeah, it is. They may not be in our area, but I still want you to take precautions."

"I will, I'll stay on alert and lock everything."

"Good, stay safe Em."

"Okay, you too. Do they know the other prisoners yet?"

"I will. They don't know the other two yet. They're still running things over at the prison."

"Okay, I'll see you later Aunt Kate."

"See you later Emily."

I hung up and put the phone back in its cradle. I did as my aunt asked of me and made sure everything was secure and locked. I checked my window last and watched the snow fall lazily to the sidewalk below. The street lamp shined brightly on the semi-empty road, making the fresh snow look beautiful. Winter was always my second favorite season because of the fluffy white snow. The only things bad about it was traveling to school in ankle too knee deep snow, or the freezing cold, chilling you to the bones.

Other than that, it sure was a pretty time of the year, if you're into that sort of thing. I continued to look out the window for a few more minutes, but I started to get sleepy. I got ready for bed in my smiley face pajamas and quickly fell into a comfortable slumber in my comfy bed.

* * *

I was sleeping soundly until I could have sworn I heard something out my window. I rubbed my drowsy eyes and looked over to my window which was icy and foggy. I didn't see anything, so I just thought it was in my dreams. I closed my heavy eyes and started drifting off to sleep when a loud crash made me bolt upright.

I turned on my bedside lamp and saw the glass of my window scattered into pieces on my floor, with a medium sized rock in the middle of the mess. There was a dark shadowy figure in the corner of my room and all the blood drained from my body. I was terrified to the bone, I was quite possibly in a whole lot of trouble.

The figure stepped forward and I recognized him immediately, Tony, the second in command alongside Roman. He was still in his orange jump suit and he had a deadly scowl on his face. He looked even scarier from the last time I saw him, I guess prison toughened him up even more so.

"Get out," I said shakily.

"Now, now, that's not how you treat an old friend," he said wickedly.

"You're not a friend. You're a criminal who was a part of my kidnapping."

"We had fun though. Even though Roman did most of the work."

"What are you doing here?"

"I came to kill the kid who took everything away from me. They took away my boss, my son, and my life. Now I'm going to take away theirs."

"Oh, well, I think they're a few doors down. I'll see you around."

He grabbed me roughly by the collar of my PJ's and said, "Roman was right, you are a little shit, you know that? You're gonna pay for what you've done, and your aunt is gonna be devastated."

I tried to struggle out of his grasp, but it was no use, he was too strong.

"You're going to pay for this," I said.

"We'll see," he said and threw a large hand over my mouth.

He tried to drag me out of bed, but I kept up a fight, biting his hand and twisting in his arms. I knocked over my lamp and my comforter was knocked off my bed. He fought hard with me, his manly strength keeping me from getting away completely. He threw me up against the wall and I felt something collide with my head, making everything go black.

* * *

3rd person POV

"I can't believe that creep broke out of prison?" Esposito said.

"I know, me either. Do we know Tony's whereabouts?" Kate asked.

"No, we're still trying to gather information from witnesses, surveillance cameras, and traffic cams. So far no luck," Ryan said.

"Great, how about you Esposito? Did any inmates give you anything?" Kate asked.

"No, no one wants to be a snitch. There was nothing in his cell either," Esposito said.

Castle came in at a quick pace and said, "Hey, I heard what happened. Did Tony really break out?"

"Yeah, he's our last convict on the loose, but he's MIA," Kate said.

"Yeah, he could be anywhere?" Ryan sighed.

"Yeah, but he should still be in at least a hundred mile radius. We'll track him down," Esposito said.

"You don't think he'd go after mini Beckett?" Castle asked.

"I'm trying to squash that fear Castle," Kate said.

"I know, but you have to consider it," Castle stated.

"I don't know," Kate sighed.

"I think Castle's got a point, it's definitely an option," Esposito said.

"Yeah, and as much as we'd hate for mini you to be mixed up in this. We have to stay on the lookout for the possibility of him going after her," Ryan said.

"Yeah, I'm going to give Em a call and make sure she's okay," Kate said and picked up the phone.

She dialed the number and the phone rang and rang and rang. Soon enough it went to voicemail and Kate hung up. She dialed it again and got the same results.

"Is she asleep?" Castle asked.

"I hope so," Kate said looking nervous.

"Let's go check it out," Castle said.

Kate and Castle quickly headed to her apartment to make sure Emily was all right. When they arrived everything looked fine and normal. The Christmas tree illuminated the peaceful living room and Kate went to Emily's room with a slight ease, until she opened the door.

Panic flooded through Kate's veins as she took in the sight of her niece's room. It was a mess and it looked like a huge struggle was put on.

"Hey is she…" Castle stopped as he took in the scene.

He noticed the broken window, the scattered sheets, and knocked over lamp. They both knew that this was not a good sight to see.

"Castle, he has her," she said.

"We'll get her back, I promise."

* * *

Emily's POV

I awoke with a major headache, freezing body parts, and blood on the side of my head. I was laying on cold tiled floor with my wrists and ankles bound tight with thick rope. Since my hands were tied behind my back, I couldn't really move much. I rolled myself over and looked at the crappy ceiling above me. Tony's face came into my view and he grinned wickedly at me.

"Nice to see you awake. I'm trying to determine who your most like, your druggie whore of a mother or your douche bag stealing father. It's a toss-up, but I think you resemble your bitchy aunt a bit too," he said, looking me over.

"I hate you," I said.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. You're gonna hate me a lot more, once my friend gets here."

"Your friend?"

"Yeah, Nico. He owns a truck and is gonna take us to a large spot of land my uncle used to own, now its abandoned and shitty."

"What are you going to do to me?"

"It's a surprise. Don't want to spoil all the fun."

"You can't do this."

"Oh I think I can. You deserve this kid, you should have been dead a long time ago."

I heard a rumble of a truck coming close to the building we were in and Tony smiled manically, "Looks like my friend is here. Don't go anywhere, I need to talk to him."

He walked away from my field of view and I looked around for something to help me get out of these ropes. There was nothing in sight, and I was slowly losing hope that I won't get out of this situation alive. I've already had so many close calls, I think my luck is just about up. I hope my aunt knows how much I love her, and how much I care about Castle.

I heard two voices entering the room and I knew the one voice was Tony, so the other had to be the guy named Nico.

"This is the little girl. You know I'm down with revenge and everything, but she's just a kid," Nico said.

"Look Nico, don't become a pansy on me now. I need you to toughen up and help me out," Tony said with anger.

"All right, I'm fine. I'll help," he said.

"Good I'm glad you're pulling yourself together. Now, I'll take her and you go start the car, got it?" Tony said.

"Yeah, got it," Nico said.

Tony came into view and he threw me over his shoulder and I tried to wiggle out, but it was no use. He brought me outside where the freezing cold overtook me again and I was shivering like mad. The engine roared to life and I was thrown into the bed of the truck. I heard Tony get in and I felt the wheels turning soon after.

I was facing up to the sky and since we were on a dark road somewhere, the stars were shining brightly in the sky. I could see my breath float out of my mouth and float lazily in the night air. I could barely feel my toes and fingers because I barely had any clothes to keep me warm. These light pajamas were definitely not fit for this kind of weather.

We drove for what seemed like forever and I pretty much felt numb from my head to my toes. I'm pretty sure I even dosed off a few times while we were on the long stretch of road. I heard the door to the bed of the truck open and I felt the rope that bound my ankles get cut swiftly. The person yanked me by my left ankle and I fell into a hard pile of snow with a thud.

I fell on my hand the wrong way and I wondered if it was broken or just badly sprained. I was yanked onto my feet by my left arm and Tony eyed me sternly, "Don't try anything, or your dead."

"Okay," I whispered.

"Nico get the shovels," he said.

"Yes Tony," I heard Nico say.

Shovels? What were the shovels going to be for? I was now painfully scared and wanted this to be a bad dream, but the way things are going, I don't think this's a dream. Tony pulled me along and my small toes dug into the cold white snow as I kept up with him. We walked for about a mile from the truck and what awaited us was a six foot deep hole, made for a wooden coffin that laid next to it.

"Worth the wait, huh?" Tony asked me.

"No, please don't do this. I'm sorry, I really am," I cried.

"Your pleas aren't gonna help you kid. You ruined my life, you ruined my son's life, and you killed my boss."

"It wasn't my fault you're the one who kidnapped me and held me for ransom."

Tony's hand flew up and he backhanded me right across the face with power. I fell to the icy snow and cried out in pain. My cheek burned badly, but the coldness of the snow calmed it slightly. I was yanked back up to face Tony and he said, "Don't get smart. Now get ready to be buried alive. You have five and a half hours at the most, until you run out of air and are consumed by death."

"No…" I whined.

Nico walked over and said, "I got the shovels,"

Nico handed one over to Tony and Tony looked over at me with a sinister face. Nico opened the coffin and Tony cut the ropes surrounding my wrists, throwing me into the wooden coffin right after. I barely had time to react before they closed it and I was immersed in complete darkness. I heard banging and I figured they were hammering the nails in, so I can't open it.

I felt the box rise and then get lowered into what I assumed was the hole. It jostled a bit, but nothing to serious. I heard dirt and rocks hitting the outside of the coffin and the noise sounded deafening in this enclosed space. The sound started getting fainter and fainter as more and more of the soil was thrown onto my death trap.

I felt lost, scared, alone, and confused. Did I deserve this fate that I was in the midst of right now? Was I ever going to see another light of day again? Would I ever see my aunt again, Castle, his family, the precinct, my friends, and grandpa? What do you think about when you have only five and a half hours to live? As I took shallow breaths in this confined and dark space, I thought to myself, this is quite possibly the end of the road.


	25. Chapter 25

AN: Let's see if Emily makes it. Thank you again to everyone for following, favouring, and reviewing this story. Here's the next chapter everybody, enjoy. Don't forget to Review. :)

Disclaimer: I do not own Castle or it's characters.

* * *

Save me, I'm Buried Alive

 _Five and a half hours…_

I was stuck and trapped under six feet of dirt. Never in a million years did I think I'd be buried when I was still alive. All I have is five and a half hours of air and as long as I don't panic, I should be able to make it until then. Even though that's all that I want to do, I want to panic, but I don't think it'll really help.

No one is going to be able to hear my screams and my loud cries because I'm in the middle of nowhere. I banged my little fist on the wooden door, forgetting that my left hand was badly hurt, and I cried out in pain. It was no use, I was stuck in here, and who knows if my aunt and the precinct will find me in time.

They might not even know I'm missing. Once they do, I might already be dead. I cried silently to myself not wanting to believe that I was only hours away from imminent death.

* * *

3rd Person POV

 _Five hours…_

The precinct was bustling with detectives and uniformed cops. Everyone was on the phone or the internet trying to get information on where Tony might be with Emily. Kate was a frantic mess on the inside, but she kept her cool because she didn't want to be thrown off the case.

Every time they think they have a lead, it just turns out to be a dead end. Kate didn't want to think about the thought that kept popping into her: what if he already killed her? Kate didn't want to think that way, she had to keep hope alive. They'll find her, they always do, and hopefully this isn't the end of Emily's nine lives.

"Kate… Kate…" she barely heard Castle trying to get her attention.

Castle sighed sadly and tried getting her attention again, "Kate…"

Kate looked up at Castle and he had a sad look in his eyes, "What Castle?"

"We can't give up, not yet. We'll find Emily, she's a fighter just like you. No matter how horrible the situation is, she'll make it through," Castle said.

"Thanks Castle, but I have this feeling that somethings terribly wrong. What if we are too late?"

"We can't think like that Kate. If we give up now, that means we gave up on her, and we can't give up on her. She needs all of us right now to push through this and find her safe and sound."

"I know… I know… I just wish I was at home when this happened. I'm never with her when I need to be. It's my fault she's in this situation in the first place."

"Don't say that Kate. This isn't your fault, we didn't know he was going to break out and go after Emily."

"Yeah, but I took her to that crime scene, I wasn't there to keep an eye on her when she went to that warehouse, and I didn't get to Roman before he got to her. I put her in the line of danger since I took her in."

"Kate, listen to me. Even though Emily has been through so much since she started staying with you, you are the best thing that's ever happened to her, and she's the best thing that's ever happened to you. You two have grown on each other so much in the past year, and you two need each other. Mini Beckett is one of the best kids I've ever met and I love her like she was my own, we'll find her and it isn't your fault."

"You're right Castle. Thank you so much."

"It's okay, I needed that just as much as you. I'm worried about her too, but I know we'll find her."

Esposito came running up to them and said, "Hey, we think we got something. A manager at a local hardware shop said he helped checkout someone who matched Tony's description. Ryan and I are going to check it out."

"Okay, let me know if you find anything," Kate said.

"We will," Esposito nodded.

Kate watched Ryan follow Esposito to the elevator and she put her hands on her head, raking her fingers through her wavy brown hair. She felt a hand on her shoulder and she looked up to see Castle looking sympathetically at her.

"It'll be okay," Castle said.

She nodded and he sat down next to her, both mulling over the thoughts in their head in complete silence.

* * *

 _Four and a half hours…_

Ryan and Esposito came back with fire on their heels. They looked angry and solemn all at once and Kate quickly stood to hear what they had found. Castle saw them and quickly left the break room with a coffee in hand, hoping that they were getting one step closer to finding Emily.

"Kate…" Ryan started.

"What? What is it?" she asked with worry.

"We asked the man some questions, and he couldn't give us much details on where Tony might be," Esposito said.

"But…" Castle said.

"But he did tell us what he bought," Ryan said.

"What did he buy?" Kate asked.

"He bought…. He bought some rope, a knife, and two shovels," Esposito said.

"Oh god," Kate said sitting down, feeling numb.

"We don't know what that means. She could still be out there," Castle said, trying to remain positive.

"Yeah, we still have 40 some hours left to find her," Esposito said.

"What if we don't? This might not be like other kidnapping cases," Kate said.

"Don't worry, we'll find mini Beckett," Ryan said.

"I hope we do," Kate sighed.

Captain Gates walked out of her office and said, "Have you found anything yet?"

"No sir, we only found out what he had bought. Still no sign of him," Esposito said.

"Keep searching. Kate, if this gets too much to handle, I want you to go home," the captain said.

"I can't do that, sir. I need to do everything I can for my niece. I have to help find her," Kate said.

The captain nodded and said, "Fine, just don't do anything stupid detective. We need to be level headed about all of this, and that goes for all of you."

They all nodded and Captain Gates went back into her office.

"I'm going to make some more phone calls," Ryan said.

"I'm going to search some more footage," Esposito said.

They both walked off with determination on finding the little girl who became a large part in all of their hearts. Kate sighed and ran her hand threw her hair, trying to figure out what her next move was going to be. It felt like they've already searched everything and anything they could, she knew hope was fading fast.

Castle watched Kate as she looked lost in thought, her hazel eyes shining with unshed tears. Castle wasn't going to lie, he was losing hope too. As much as he didn't want to, he knew that things were looking slim. Kate walked off and Castle was going to follow, but he figured she needed to be by herself, at least for now.

Kate went to the bathroom and looked at herself in the mirror. Her eyes were red and puffy from the tears that were now spilling freely down her face. She couldn't breathe and felt like she was on fire. It felt worse than when she was suffering through PTSD. She couldn't fathom losing Emily, it felt like her mother all over again. Losing her sister hurt too, but not as much as her mom and Emily.

Emily has meant the world to her. She could be a pain in the ass sometimes, but she could also be the sweetest and caring kid she'd ever met. Castle was right, Em was definitely one big turning point in her life and something she needed. Whenever Kate would go home, she knew Emily would be there to make her shitty day become brighter.

Kate let out a sob and dropped to her knees, feeling all the pain she tried to keep bottled up inside. She put her head in her hands and let everything just flow out of her. She couldn't even think anymore, just numbness and emptiness filling her mind. Emily can't die, she just can't. Kate needs Emily more than anything.

Kate felt a pair of warm arms wrap around her and she hugged him close. She put her head into the crook of his neck and cried silently into his jacket. Castle rubbed Kates back softly, letting his own tears flow down his cheeks. It pained him to see Kate like this and it didn't help that he was just as tore up inside as her.

They needed to find Emily or everything could break away in an instant. He didn't want this to turn out to be the end of the road for Emily, she was just a child trying to get her life back on track. He wanted to go out right now and find that man who caused this whole precinct a terrible heartache.

They stayed connected to each other for what seemed like forever. They both needed this comfort and to understand each other's pain. They both knew the imminent danger lurking for Emily and hoped to god that she'll be able to hold on.

* * *

 _Three and a half hours…_

Kate and Castle finally went back to her desk, feeling just a little bit better than before. Daybreak was upon them and there was still no sign of Emily or Tony. Everyone seemed to be on edge, they couldn't lose this case because if they did, they knew they've failed one of their own.

Castle was sitting next to Kate's desk as she flipped through hundreds of things on her computer. He saw the new spark in her after their little breakdown in the bathroom. She wasn't going to give up, not until she found Emily, hopefully alive.

"Dad," Alexis said.

"Richard," his mom said.

Castle stood up and said, "What are you two doing here?"

"We got your message. Please tell me she's okay," Alexis said.

"We don't know," Castle sighed.

Alexis cried silently and Castle held her tight.

"This is horrible. How are you holding up Kate?" Mrs. Rodgers asked.

"The best that I can be. I need to stay strong for her," Kate said.

"That's all you can do," Mrs. Rodgers said.

"Where's detective Beckett?" an unfamiliar voice rang out.

Esposito grabbed the man holding a yellow envelope in his hands. He dragged him to Kate's desk and threw him into the chair next to it.

"Who are you?" Kate said.

"Listen, man. I'm sorry for what I've done. I'm supposed to give you this later, but I couldn't live with myself if I let that poor kid die," Nico said.

"What are you saying?" Kate asked nervously.

"Tony enlisted me to help with his plan. I wanted him to think I was cool, but she was so scared. He made this for you," Nico said, handing over the envelope.

Kate opened it and found a map along with a handwritten note. She looked at the note and read it out loud, "Detective Beckett, by the time you're reading this note, your precious little niece will already be on the verge of death. She's buried alive at my uncle's old land. It'll take you an hour to get there, so get your shovels ready and start digging. Your friendly fugitive, Tony."

"Oh my gosh," Alexis said.

Kate unfolded the map and saw a large area of land circled in red marker. Emily could have been buried anywhere and if fresh snow has fallen in that area, it'll make it even harder for them to find any recently disturbed area or foot prints.

"He took my truck, he shouldn't be too far gone," Nico said.

"What's the license plate number?" Esposito asked.

"It's A5A1A5,"Nico said.

"Okay, I'll get a team and find Tony," Esposito said.

"Okay, hurry," Kate said.

Esposito left with some officers and Kate said, "We have to gather a team and find her."

"I'm on it. What about him?" Ryan asked.

"Were bringing him with us. He might remember where they buried her," Kate said.

"Got it," Ryan said.

"I'll try my best detective," Nico said.

"You better," Kate mumbled.

* * *

Emily's POV

 _Two hours…_

I don't know how many hours have gone by, but I did know I was still breathing. I was cold, hungry, and dreadfully tired. No matter how hard I tried to get some rest, I just couldn't because I was afraid that I'll never wake up.

My body was stiff and ached from laying in the same position for probably hours. I felt sick and I'm pretty sure hypothermia is starting to kick in. My eyes were getting heavy, but I dared not let it consume me. I was going to fight until I couldn't anymore.

"Emily," I heard my mother's voice say.

I looked over to my right and saw my mother's hazy figure next to me.

"Mom?" I asked.

"It's me baby. I missed you so much."

"I missed you too. Am I dying?"

"You are Emily, but don't be frightened. I'll be here to guide you."

"I'm not going to die. I need to hang on, Aunt Kate needs me."

"Emily, when it's your time it's your time. You can't fight it forever. Your aunt will understand."

"Mom, please don't take me away from her. She's been the best thing that's ever happened to me."

"I know, I've watched. She's been a better mother to you than I ever was, but it's almost time to come with me."

"I don't want to go."

"Fine, but you only have a little longer."

She dissipated and I was surrounded by the darkness once again. I was getting close to my death and I was scared. I knew hallucinating was definitely one big step to passing on. I cried uncontrollably, this can't be the end, it just can't.

* * *

3rd Person POV

 _One hour…_

The squad cars drove fast through the streets of New York until they got on to the dirt road where they picked the speed up even more. There was no time to waist and they needed to get to Tony's uncle's land before it was too late. Nico sat in Kate's backseat and Castle sat in the passenger seat.

"How long does she have?" Kate asked as they flew down the snow covered road.

"I'm not quite sure, possibly an hour maybe less," Nico said.

"How much further?" she asked.

"Not, much we should be there soon," he said.

They continued speeding down the road trying to make it to Emily on time. They pulled up to the old rundown place and saw the whole land covered in snow. It was going to be extremely hard finding where Emily was buried.

"Do you remember where she is?" Kate asked Nico."

He looked around and said, "I don't I don't remember. It was so late and I could barely see. Plus with all the fresh snow on the ground, it all seems the same."

"Great. Okay, I want everyone to grab a shovel and split up. We're going to dig each and every inch of this place until we find her!" Kate said, instructing the team.

Everyone spoke their agreement and grabbed shovels to help aid in the search. Castle grabbed a shovel and handed one to Kate. Ryan also grabbed a shovel and handed one over to Nico.

"Okay, let's head out together and find her," Kate said.

They headed out into the open area trying to figure out a way to get through the digging faster than ever.

* * *

 _Thirty minutes…_

Thirty minutes has gone by and everyone was still working frantically to dig up Emily. There was piles and piles of dirt and snow next to hundreds of holes. Kate adjusted her leather black glove on her hand and went back to digging her new hole. It started snowing some more and it was getting rougher.

She looked up and saw Castle digging in front of her. He looked focused and small breaths were coming out as he worked hard. She was happy to have him here with her, and she was thankful for everyone who cared about her and Emily. They finished that area and still haven't found one clue leading to Emily's whereabouts.

They were about to start the next section when Kate' phone rang. She answered it and said, "Did you get him?"

"Yeah, we pulled him over on the highway. He put up a good fight, but we apprehended him pretty easily. Did you find her?" Esposito asked.

"No we're still looking," she said.

"Okay, I'll let you get back to it. You'll find her I know it."

"Thanks Esposito," she said and hung up.

"Did they find him?" Castle asked.

"Yeah, they did. Now we have to find her," Kate said.

"We will."

"I know."

* * *

 _Ten minutes…_

They were on to the last open area which would be quick to search with all the people on hand. They dug and dug and finally Castle said in his hole, "I've got something!"

Everyone rushed over to Castle, and Ryan got down into the hole with him.

"Crowbar!" Ryan yelled.

A uniformed cop rushed over with a crowbar and handed it over to Ryan. Ryan quickly pushed the crowbar between the wood and wiggled it enough in to pop the coffin open. Once he popped it open, Castle grabbed the top of the coffin and pulled it open some more, revealing an unresponsive and blue Emily.

Castle and Ryan picked up her limp body and handed it over to the uniformed officer and Kate. They laid her down on the ground and Kate tried to get her to wake up.

"Emily!? Emily!? Please stay with me, please," She cried out to her lifeless niece.

When she didn't get any kind of response, Kate started performing CPR and mouth to mouth, waiting for the paramedics to make their way over to them with the stretcher. Kate looked at Emily's pale face and blue lips, watching her slip deeper and deeper into deaths grasp. She kept giving compressions, praying she'd be okay.

Castle looked on with fright, tears rolling down his face as he watched Kate frantically trying to revive mini Beckett. The paramedics brought over blankets and the stretcher. They bundled Emily up and took over the resuscitation process for Kate. They loaded Emily onto the stretcher and desperately tried to save her.

They moved fast, trying to get Emily to the hospital as quick as possible. Kate got into the back with Castle, both of them holding hands as they watched the paramedics work. The ambulance drove at a high rate of speed, weaving in and out of the early morning traffic. They pulled up to the ER and rushed her into the ICU.

They stopped Kate and Castle and said it would be best for them to wait out in the waiting room. They sat together in solemn silence, both having tear streaked faces. No words needed to be said because they both knew each other's feelings at this very moment. Emily's chances looked bleak and it would be a very slim chance on saving her.

As the seconds and minutes passed by on the hall clock, hope started trickling away little by little. Everyone started piling into the waiting room, awaiting the word on Emily's fate. Lanie sat next to Kate, trying to give her friend support, while Castle still sat on her other side. Ryan and Esposito paced the halls with unease, while Martha and Alexis sat next on the other side of Castle, grieving along with each other.

You could feel the love for Emily in the waiting room filled with people she has touched. There was no doubt that throughout the whole year she's been living with her aunt, Emily has been a large part in everyone's lives. Even though she got into more mischief than any other average child, she knew how to have a good time and be happy. Ultimately making everyone else around her essentially happy too.

A doctor walked up to where everyone was and Kate stood, waiting for the information on her niece.

The man sighed and said, "Detective Beckett, it was a really tough situation. She was unconscious for at least five minutes before you arrived. Five minutes without oxygen is very severe especially when hypothermia is involved. Thankfully you gave her CPR and mouth to mouth before the paramedics took over. We were able to revive Emily, but we will not know the extent of the damage until she wakes up."

"Is she going to wake up?" Kate asked.

"Honestly, we don't know. We feel we were able to revive her fully, but honestly it's all up to her and her body. She also suffered a broken wrist and needed three stitches in the side of her head. We're pulling for her to hopefully make a full recovery. All we can do is wait," he said.

"Thank you," she said.

"No problem. She's a lucky kid, she has all of you by her side, maybe all this love will help her pull through," he said.

"Can I see her?" Kate asked.

"Um…Yeah we can do that," he said.

"Can I come too?" Castle asked.

"I think it may be best for just one visitor right now," the doctor said.

Castle nodded and Kate walked off with the doctor who directed her to Emily's room. When she walked in, she saw Emily hooked up to many wires and had a breathing tube down her throat. Emily still looked pale, but not as pale as she did in the field. Kate went over to the bed and sat in the chair next to it.

She took Emily's small, fragile, and cold hand into her own and she wiped a tear from her face with her other hand. Emily's other hand laid limply by her side in a light pink cast. Kate never seen Emily look so small and distant. Even when Emily was in the hospital after her other kidnapping, getting dosed with snake venom, and her amnesia, she still had a glow to her.

After this Emily looked like a ghost and a sad little girl trying to hold on. Kate brushed back Emily's medium length brown hair and brushed her knuckles over her soft cheeks. She continued staring at her and hoped that Emily pulled through this. She couldn't deal with a loss right now, especially of the most important person in her life right now.

"Emily, I don't know if you can hear me, but it's your Aunt Kate. Please hold on, I know you can pull through. We all want you to pull through this. Everyone worked hard to get you back, don't let us down. You fight through this, just don't go," Kate whispered sadly.

The monitors kept beeping steadily and rhythmically through the hospital room. Kate watched as the heart monitor went up and down and up and down, thankfully not going into a flat line.

Kate didn't know how long she was in there, but day turned to night, then it turned back to day. There was only three more days until Christmas and she hoped Emily pulled through before then. Emily would be devastated if she missed Christmas. There was a knock on the door and Castle walked in with two cups of coffee.

"Hey," he said, walking over and handing her a cup.

She took it gratefully and said, "Thanks, I thought he said only one visitor."

"Yeah, but I came by today and he said two visitors would be okay."

"I want her to wake up."

"We all do. She looks so different."

"I was thinking the same thing."

"It's like the fire went out."

"What if she doesn't wake up?"

"I know she will, but in case she doesn't, we're all here for you. I'm here for you Kate, no matter how this ends."

"I really appreciate your support, Castle."

"It's no problem. I know how much this hurts right now."

She nodded and they continued on in silence watching Emily sleep peacefully.

* * *

Emily's POV

I felt exhausted, my body ached, and I had a long tube coming out of my mouth. I tried so hard to open my eyes, but they were so heavy. I could barely move any muscles in my body, I felt horrible. I wondered if I was dead, but I think my body wouldn't ache if I was.

I faintly heard mumbles coming to the right of me. I tried to listen to them, but it was very hard and really muffled. I concentrated harder and finally picked up on the two voices. It was my aunt Kate and Castle.

"Kate, it's almost time for dinner. Do you want me to get you anything?" he asked.

"No," she said.

"Come on, you need to eat something. Emily wouldn't want you to get sick because of her."

"I know…"

"The doctor said she looks like she's making progress. She could be awake any moment, we just have to hold on to the hope."

"Yeah, but we still don't know if she'll be okay. She could have brain damage."

"Yeah, it won't be the same without her old self, but at least we'll have her back."

"Yeah, you're right."

I wondered how long I've been under. I'm glad they found me, but it seems like it wasn't fast enough. I must have passed out after my hallucination and started slipping under while awaiting being saved.

I pushed hard inside myself and tried to force my eyes open. I started to crack them open little by little and finally I was able to look at the bright ceiling of the hospital. It feels like I've done this way too many times in the past year.

"Castle…" I heard my aunt Kate say.

"What?" he said.

"Look…"

"Oh my god…"

"Go get the doctor."

I heard him rush out of my room and my aunt Kate filled my vision. I looked at her the best I could and I saw her smiling with tears brimming her eyes.

"Emily, can you hear me?" she asked.

I willed my muscles to move and I gave her a slight thumbs up with my unbroken hand. She laughed softly, still smiling through her happy tears. I heard Castle come back in and I saw a doctor come into my view. He shined a light in my eyes and I squinted slightly at it.

He removed the breathing tube from my throat and unhooked a few of the IV's from my body, but I was still hooked up to a lot of things. Aunt Kate handed me a cup of water and helped guide my unsteady hand to my mouth. I drank the water down greedily and my throat felt great from drinking that cool liquid.

The doctor continued checking me out and by the time he was done, I was already starting to get tired again.

"Looks like all her vitals are fine. Her heartbeats steady and she seems to be breathing on her own. We'll have to keep her for a few more days, but we'll monitor her closely and hopefully she'll be able to speak and have full function," the doctor said.

"Thank you," Kate said.

"Don't mention it. See if you can interact with her and get her speaking and moving," he said.

"I will," she said.

He nodded and walked out of the room, leaving me with Castle and Aunt Kate.

"Hey, Em. How are you feeling?"

"Like I was buried alive," I said softly.

"Well, Emily definitely doesn't have brain damage, "Castle chuckled.

I smiled at him and said, "I'm glad I don't, it would be hard on all of us."

"Yeah, but we would've got through it," my aunt said.

"Yeah," I said.

"What do you remember?" she asked.

"Everything. From Tony breaking in, laying on the floor in a rundown place, driving in Nico's truck, getting thrown into the coffin, and loosing track of time," I said.

"I'm so sorry this happened to you," my aunt said.

"It's not your fault. I'm fine and thankfully it was me and not some other kid," I said.

"You're some kid, mini Beckett," Castle said.

"I was raised that way, "I said.

"You were and it helped you become the fighter you are today," she said.

"Yeah it did. Aunt Kate? I asked.

"Yeah," she said.

"I saw my mom," I said.

"You saw your mom?" she asked.

"Yeah, she came to me while I was in the coffin. She tried to take me with her, but I didn't go. I had to stay, "I said.

My aunt hugged me tight and close to her body. I hugged her back and I looked at Castle who had a small sad smile on his ruggedly handsome face. It looked like he also had tears welding in his blue eyes.

After our long and heartwarming hug, my aunt kept asking me questions and trying to make sure my brain was working in full function. Eventually it was late evening and my aunt stayed with me through the night. I asked if she'd sleep with me and we curled up together in the hospital bed, yeah it was tight, but we didn't care.

When the next day rolled around everyone came into my room one by one, expressing their relief that I pulled through and also leaving me Christmas presents that I could take home with me. The doctor said if I keep up my good progress, I'll actually be able to get out for Christmas. He said he'll even try to help me leave early morning, so I'll have the whole day to spend at home.

I was happy to have so many people who loved me and did everything they could to find me. I couldn't ask for anything better than the extended family I've made within this year when moving in with my aunt Kate. I looked out my hospital window, watching the snow float across it, and I smiled to myself. I know my mom's looking down on me and she knows my life is better than she'd ever thought was possible.


	26. Chapter 26

AN: Thank you again to everyone for following, favouring, and reviewing this story. Here's the next chapter everybody, enjoy. Don't forget to Review. :)

Disclaimer: I do not own Castle or it's characters.

* * *

Christmas Presents and Murder

Today was Christmas and also the day I get out of the hospital. It was early morning and my aunt was signing the release form, and speaking to the doctor. The doctor said my recovery was really well for what had happened to me. They said I was a true Christmas miracle. Nothing can stop me from missing my favorite holiday.

I was getting dressed in the change of clothes my aunt brought me, long sleeve gray shirt, black skinny jeans, my boots, and my heavy light blue coat. I finished getting dressed and went out to find my aunt waiting for me with a young nurse with a wheel chair. I sat in the wheel chair and she pushed me into the hall where I was greeted by other nurses and my doctor.

They all said their goodbyes to me and congratulated me on my quick recovery. I was happy with all the positive comments and knowing that they care. We went out to the front where my aunt's car was parked and I got in. As she pulled off, I waved goodbye to all the hospital staff who took care of me.

We drove down the streets of New York heading home and there wasn't too many people on the road since it was a holiday.

"Happy to be going home?" my aunt asked.

"Yes I am, especially on Christmas," I said.

"Yeah, Merry Christmas, Em."

"Merry Christmas, Aunt Kate."

My aunt focused back on the road and I looked out the window, looking at all the shops that were closed, every once in a while we'd pass by one that was open. We passed by this one alley way and the sight I saw was horrifying.

"AUNT KATE! STOP THE CAR!" I practically yelled.

My aunt slammed the breaks and asked, "What!? Are you okay?"

"Yeah, but that woman isn't."

My aunt followed my gaze and saw a woman laying by the large garbage can, with a knife coming out of her abdomen.

My aunt pulled over towards the curb and got out of the car. Before she closed the door, she popped her head in, and said, "Stay here."

I nodded and watched my aunt walk over to the body. I watched intently wondering what she was seeing up close. I saw my aunt pull out her cell phone, probably calling the precinct. My aunt walked back to me and opened the door.

"I'm sorry Emily, but it looks like I'm going to be working today," Aunt Kate said.

"Don't worry about it. It's your job," I said.

"I'm glad you're an understanding kid."

"I'm here for you Aunt Kate."

She patted me on the head with a smile on her face and said, "Maybe we'll finish this quickly so we'll be able to spend most of the day together."

"That would be great," I said with a small smile.

We heard the sirens coming towards the area, and soon enough, they all pulled onto the street we were at. Uniformed cops started blocking off the area and looking around the crime scene. Esposito came over with a smiling Castle by his side.

"Hey Beckett, Merry Christmas," Esposito said.

"Merry Christmas, Esposito," she said.

"Merry Christmas, Kate," Castle said.

"Merry Christmas, Castle," my aunt said.

"Merry Christmas guys," I said when I exited the car.

"Merry Christmas mini Beckett," Esposito said.

Castle picked me up and gave me a tight squeeze, "Merry Christmas, Emily. Glad you're okay and got to leave on Christmas."

"Thanks Castle," I said.

Castle put me back down and asked, "So, do we know anything so far?"

"No not yet. I didn't look over the scene yet. Emily spotted it as we drove by," she said.

"Nice eye, mini Beckett," Castle said.

I smiled and my aunt said, "Yeah, she does. She almost gave me a heart attack when she screamed to stop the car."

Castle and Esposito chuckled, and Castle said, "Well she knows how to get your attention."

"She certainly does," my aunt chuckled.

They started walking towards the body and I followed after them. The woman looked young, maybe around twenty five, and she was wearing a red cocktail dress. Her long black wavy hair was hanging around her loosely and some strands were in her face.

"Think she was a hooker," Esposito asked.

"No, those shoes and her purse seem to be expensive. Maybe she was returning from a high end party," my aunt said.

"I know her," Castle said.

"You do?" my aunt asked.

"Not personally, but she used to be the spokesperson for LGM, Lester Grains Modeling, and apparently became a partner with Lester about a year ago. Her names Rosalie Martin. I actually went to one of their parties a few years ago. She was pretty snobby and barely talked to anyone accept her boyfriend and high end friends," Castle said.

"Castle, do you know the boyfriends name?" Esposito said.

"If she's still with him, his name is Armando Deleon. At the time I met him he was one of the new models and a rising star," Castle said.

"Okay, I'll go check him out, see if they're still together," Esposito said.

"Okay, we'll stay here and wait for Lanie," she said.

Esposito nodded and walked off.

"Wow, she could have tons of enemy's," Castle said.

"Yeah, people like this are targeted by almost everyone, from fans, to co-workers, to jealous competition," my aunt said.

"Aunt Kate, her purse is buzzing," I said.

My aunt bent down and picked up the victims purse and opened it up. She pulled out her phone and answered it, putting it on speaker.

"Who's this?" my aunt asked.

"Sandra, Rosita's best friend. Who's this?" Sandra asked.

"This is detective Kate Beckett," she said.

"What happened? Is she okay?" she asked.

"I'm sorry to tell you this, but Ms. Martin is dead," my aunt said.

"No… I just saw her five hours ago at our annual Christmas party for LGM," Sandra said sounding distraught.

"I'm sorry Sandra. Will you come by the precinct later on, so we can ask you some questions?" my aunt asked.

Sandra sniffled over the phone and said, "Yeah, I can do that."

"Okay, goodbye, Sandra," my aunt said.

"Goodbye, detective," she said.

My aunt hung up and put the phone back into the purse. She searched through it not finding much but some money, credit cards, and makeup.

"Well she wasn't robbed, so maybe someone tailed her home after the Christmas party," my aunt said.

"Yeah, if they really wanted her things, they would have taken everything," Castle said.

"Yeah," my aunt said.

"Merry Christmas, everyone," Lanie said as she came over to us.

"Merry Christmas," we all said.

"Glad to see you're okay Emily," Lanie said.

"Thanks," I said.

She bent down and started checking the body.

"What can you tell Lanie?" my aunt asked.

"Well, not much. Pretty much the obvious, knife wound into the abdomen, probably puncturing some major organs and arteries making her bleed out in seconds. Seems like she died probably a couple of hours ago maybe more. I'll find out more when I get her to the morgue," she said.

"Okay, thanks Lanie. I'm going to head back to the precinct and see if Sandra shows up," my aunt said.

"Okay, I'm going to get her back to the lab. I'll let you know if I find anything," she said.

My aunt nodded and we went to her car and left for the precinct.

* * *

When we got there the whole place was all decked out for the holidays. They had a menorah and a Christmas tree decorating the area. They also had pretty lights strung about and some other festive decorations.

"Hey, Beckett some girl came in named Sandra Jones. She mentioned that she spoke with you earlier," Ryan said.

"Yeah, we found her friend murdered in an alleyway," my aunt said.

"Oh, The new case. Well she's in interrogation now," he said.

"Thanks Ryan," she said.

"No problem," he said.

My aunt and Castle walked to the interrogation room and I was left with detective Ryan.

"Merry Christmas Mini Beckett," he said.

"Merry Christmas Ryan," I said.

"I'll see you around," he said.

"Okay," I said.

He walked off and now I was left alone by my aunt's desk. I decided to go raid the break room because I was a little hungry. I dug through the fridge and found nothing to munch on, but they did have some muffins on the counter in a festive basket. I took a banana nut muffin and started nibbling on it.

The muffin wasn't actually that bad. As I finished it up I happened to look above me and see mistletoe hanging from the ceiling. I smiled mischievously and my plan from a few days ago popped back into my brain. Maybe I can get it down and hang it over my aunt Kate and Castle. I finished the muffin and through the wrapper away.

I grabbed a chair and pulled it to the spot the mistletoe was hanging. I got up and tried to reach for it but I was just too small to reach it. I huffed and looked around for something else to boost my height. I saw a few large books laying by a desk in the room and grabbed those. I placed them on the chair and hoped it would be high enough.

I climbed up carefully and tried to reach the mistletoe. I stood on my tippy toes and just barely grabbed it and plucked it from the ceiling. I watched my step carefully and got down without any problems. I put everything I used back in place and stuffed the mistletoe in my coat pocket, saving it for the right moment to catch them off guard.

As I waited for my aunt, Esposito came in with a man who I assumed was Armando Deleon. He was really hot and I knew why he was a rising star three years ago. He's probably a top male model right now. They walked by and headed to the other interrogation room. I wondered if he was a suspect in this, but for now, pretty much everyone Rosalie came in contact with yesterday is a suspect.

My aunt Kate and Castle came out of the interrogation room with a weeping Sandra following behind them. She walked towards the elevator and I guessed she was released for now.

"Emily, I need you to stay here. Castle and I are going to head to where the party took place," she said.

"Can't I come?" I asked.

"No, I want you to stay here."

"Okay."

"We'll be back soon, okay?"

"Yeah."

They left together and I sat bored out of mind in the chair next to my aunt's desk. This so far has been the most boring Christmas I've ever had. I understand my aunt is a detective and has to work, but I really wanted to spend time together today. I wanted her to open my present and see her face light up with joy.

I sighed and I heard Esposito behind me say, "What's wrong Mini B?"

"Nothing," I shrugged.

"It's definitely something. You sad because you're not having a fun Christmas with your aunt."

"Yeah, but it's no big deal. We'll just have a better one next year."

"Yeah, maybe next year. Just don't get down mini B. We're all here, so it makes Christmas extra special," he said.

"Yeah, it sure does."

Esposito smiled and nodded. He walked over to the crime board and started writing some new stuff from the investigation on it. Looked like Armando was at another party three hours away after he left the party two hours prior to the murder. Guess he wasn't our suspect either. Then Esposito wrote down a new name on the board, J.P. Cooper, CEO of Fancy Serena Makeup.

"Who's J.P.? Was he at the party?" I asked him.

He put the marker down and said, "Yeah, he's been trying to get his products into photo shoots at LGM. Rosalie was reluctant about it and kept turning him down. Apparently he was at the party last night and things got a little heated between the vic. and him, causing him to be kicked out."

"That sounds like a motive."

"Yeah, but we'll have to wait and see. It could just be a dead end, he might have left it go."

"True."

My aunt and Castle walked back into the precinct and started having a conversation with Esposito. Ryan came over too and started to discuss something he found to. I tried to eaves drop, but it wasn't working out to well. I decided to drop it and wait patiently for them to finish up.

"We should bring him in," my aunt said.

"Yeah, if that waiter really saw him hanging around outside after he was kicked out. Then he sure looks guilty," Castle said.

"Yeah, we'll go track him down," Ryan said.

Esposito and Ryan left while my aunt Kate and Castle stayed behind. They looked over the board, trying to make sense of this whole thing. My aunt's phone rang and she picked it up.

"Did you find something, Lanie?" she asked.

A few seconds went bye and she eventually hung up the phone.

"Lanie found some drugs in Rosalie's system. Someone drugged her, probably why she didn't put up much of a fight. If we find the drugs we find the killer," my aunt said.

"So it couldn't be J.P.," Castle said.

"It could be, but he probably had no idea he was going to get kicked out. Why would he take the time to drug her and follow her home, and get kicked out," my aunt questioned the situation.

"Maybe it was someone close to her," I said.

They looked at me and I shrugged my shoulders, "Just a thought."

"Well, it's a possibility. A girl like her probably doesn't let her drink leave her sights because she is a large target to many people," Castle said.

"The only person she'd trust with her drink, would be…" I said thinking about it.

"Her best friend," my aunt and Castle said together.

I nodded and said, "I'd trust my best friend with anything."

"Even your life," my aunt Kate said.

They took some uniformed officers with them to Sandra's house and went to see if our theory was correct.

* * *

About an hour later Ryan and Esposito came back with J.P. in handcuffs.

"Where's Castle and Beckett?" Ryan asked me.

"They went to see Sandra," I said.

"Why?" Esposito asked.

"We had a theory that Sandra was the killer," I said.

"Huh," they said.

"Does that mean I'm free to go?" J.P. said.

"No, we're still going to ask you some questions Mr. Cooper," Esposito said.

They took him to interrogation and eventually my aunt and Castle came back with Sandra in handcuffs. They went to the interrogation room and I decided to watch behind the glass.

"You lied to us Sandra. You left when your Rosalie left the party," my aunt said.

"Okay, so I left with her, but I didn't walk with her," Sandra said.

"You may have not walked wither but you did start following after a few minutes. Surveillance cameras in the area showed you returning from the way you went and going the way Rosalie did just a few minutes ago," my aunt said.

"Yeah, doesn't mean I killed her. She would have been home already," she said.

"Au contraire Sandra. You see, Rosalie was drugged and by the time she was heading home she was feeling the effects of it, making her feel uneasy and disorientated," Castle said.

"You can't prove anything," Sandra said with a glare.

"You see we can. We found the bottle of the drug used for her in your trashcan outside the house. We also had our lab find the glass she used at the party, and it had only two sets of finger prints on it, Rosalie's and yours. It was also coated with the drug, so Sandra I'd confess now," my aunt said.

Sandra sighed and said, "I want my lawyer."

"Fine, just know. You're not going to get away with this," my aunt said.

They walked out and I left the room I was in.

"So we were right?" I said with a small smile.

"Yep seems like it," my aunt said.

"Another case solved. It's a Christmas miracle," Castle said.

We chuckled at Castle and my aunt said, "Yeah, I guess it was."

Ryan and Esposito came over to us and Ryan said, "So, Sandra did it."

"Yep, looks like it," my aunt said.

"Great, turns out J.P. didn't know she had already left, so he was still out back for a while," Esposito said.

"I wonder if he'd have killed her if he did get to follow her," Castle questioned.

"We may never know Castle," my aunt said.

"Hey, how about we celebrate this Christmas case with some egg nog?" Ryan said with a smile.

"Yeah, sounds good," Castle smiled.

They grabbed the egg nog from the refrigerator in the break room and some glasses. They all got some egg nog and they made me some yummy hot chocolate.

Castle raised his glass and said, "To many more cases together and Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas," we all said and started drinking our drinks.

While everyone was occupied and gathered around talking, I took the opportunity to put my plan into action. I stood up on the chair by my aunt's desk and pulled the mistletoe from my pocket. Since they were standing next to each other and were right in my range, I lifted it between them and Ryan and Esposito looked up with small smiles.

My aunt and Castle looked quizzically at them and Ryan pointed up to the mistletoe. Castle and my aunt slowly looked up and noticed what was above them. My aunt glared at me and I said, "It's a tradition, you have too."

"She's right, traditions are traditions," Castle smirked.

My aunt sighed and said, "Okay."

Castle leaned into my aunt and she closed her eyes awaiting for the kiss. They kissed gently and everyone whooped and hollered at the two. I smiled happily that my little plan was a success, hopefully it'll push them together some more. They separated and Castle had a cheesy grin on his face, while my aunt just had a small smile.

I got down from the chair and Castle said, "Best Christmas ever."

"It wasn't so bad," my aunt said.

"Hey," he said.

"Kidding Castle, it was pretty good," she said.

Castle grinned happily and we all chuckled at him. We hung around for a while until my aunt Kate and I finally headed home.

* * *

When we got home my aunt made us a quick dinner that we ate and had a lively discussion. She was kind of angry at me for what I did, but she also thought it was a cute idea. After dinner we sat in the living room and started opening presents. We both left the presents from each other until the end, so it we could save the best for last.

"Here Emily, this is from me," she said.

"Thanks Aunt Kate, this is for you," I said handing her my gift.

She smiled at it and said, "Nice wrapping job."

"I try," I smiled.

She laughed and we both started opening out gifts. I got mine open first because I put a little too much tape on my gift. I opened the small white box and it held a silver heart locket. It had "I Love You" written in cursive and I opened it up to see a picture of my aunt and I that we took at a photo booth a few months ago.

"I wanted you to have me with you all the time," she said.

"Thanks, Aunt Kate. I love it," I said with a bright smile.

She smiled and finished opening my present. She opened the navy blue box holding the silver ID bracelet I got for her with my name on it.

"Emily it's beautiful," she said.

"Look on the back of it," I said.

She flipped it over and read what I told the jeweler to write: "I love you, Aunt Kate." She wiped a tear from her eye and said, "Thank you, I'm never going to take this off."

"Your welcome and I'm never taking mine off either," I said.

She hugged me tight and whispered in my ear, "I love you Emily."

"I love you too," I mumbled.

We helped each other put on our new pieces of jewelry and they were perfect. I fiddled happily with my new necklace and my aunt gazed happily at her bracelet.

"How'd you afford this?" she asked me.

"I came up with half from my savings and Castle helped pay for the rest," I said.

"That was nice of him."

"Yeah, he's great."

"Yeah he is."

We spent the rest of the night watching Christmas movies and eating holiday cookies. Even though we didn't get to spend the whole day together, it was still the best Christmas ever.


	27. Chapter 27

AN: Thank you again to everyone for following, favouring, and reviewing this story. Here's the next chapter everybody, enjoy. Don't forget to Review. :)

Disclaimer: I do not own Castle or it's characters.

* * *

My own Trauma

It's been a week and a half since I was abducted and buried alive. We were still on break for school, but next week we had to go back. I didn't want to, most kids don't, but it just felt too soon. I've been wearing the necklace my aunt gave me every day, and been receiving lots of compliments on it from everyone at the precinct. Same thing with the bracelet I gave my aunt, she hasn't taken it off, and she got tons of compliments.

It was great spending a week and a half with my aunt Kate and everyone at the precinct. Sadly though, I've been plagued with nightmares for a few days. It just started up and it seems to be the same one every time. I haven't told my aunt because I was afraid she might take me to a doctor or something. I really don't want to go get treated by some psychologist, they're scary. I have to sit there and tell them my problems which probably start way before my recent kidnapping.

Today was the fourth night and I was determined not to have that same dream, but to no avail, I slipped into the same scary nightmare that makes me stay up for hours. The nightmare always starts out with a distorted figure hovering over me and then dragging me into the middle of nowhere. Then I'd be buried alive and left there until my aunt finds me, but it's always too late.

I always have an outer body experience towards the end and I see my aunt holding my dead body close to her, crying over the fact she couldn't find me. Sometimes if I can't wake myself up right away, it take it a little further and shows me my funeral and everyone I know, crying at the casket. It's horrible and it gets me worked up every time.

I woke up today with a fright, but I tried to stay quiet, so my aunt doesn't hear me. I don't want her to think this is a serious issue, even though it kind of is. I sighed and turned on my bedside table lamp, and grabbed my laptop. I browsed through tons and tons of websites on the internet and played some games.

By 6:30am I started dozing on and off while on the computer. The sun was starting to stream through my window and it hurt my tired eyes. I was so tired I could barely keep my eyes open. I let out a gigantic yawn and decided to try to get a little sleep in. Just as I was about to turn in for the morning for those couple hours of much needed sleep, there was a knock on bedroom door.

"Come in," I said.

My aunt opened the door with a small smile on her face and said, "Morning Em, I was just about to make us some breakfast. I was hoping you can come with me to the precinct, so I can finish some paper work. Since I have the day off, I was thinking we can do something."

"Um…Yeah sure, but why are you going in on your day off?" I asked.

"I need to catch up on some the paper work. It's piled up and if I don't get at least some of it out of the way, the captain will be furious with me. Not to mention I'll have a lot more backed up once I do more cases."

"I understand."

"Okay. I'll go make us some breakfast."

"Okay, I'll be out in a second Aunt Kate."

"All right, maybe you can help me."

I gave a small smile and nodded to her. She closed my door and I flopped back into my bed with a small groan. I ran my hands down my face and got out of bed slowly. I felt like I was the undead from the pace I was moving. I felt tired and weak and I just wanted to plop down somewhere and go into a deep and long sleep. I tried to pull myself together so my aunt wouldn't catch on to my little secret I've been keeping from her.

I left my room and headed to the kitchen to help my aunt with breakfast. We made it together and I tried to be as alive as possible, hoping she wouldn't see through my façade. We ate together sharing a nice, warm, and heartfelt early morning conversation. She didn't seem to notice that I was as tired as a sloth. Once we were done, we got dressed and headed to the precinct to start our long and tiring day.

* * *

We've been at the precinct for about a few hours and just a few minutes ago Castle dropped by to ask my aunt a few questions about something he wants to put in his book. I barely heard any of the conversation because I kept nodding off every few seconds. I didn't realize that I finally dozed off and fell off the chair I was occupying.

I hit the ground with a thud and when I opened my eyes all I saw was the tiled floor and two pairs of shoes. I got up slowly and looked up to see my aunt and castle looking at me with concern filling their eyes.

"I'm okay, guess I just fell asleep," I said, trying desperately to deviate the conversation from turning into what I've been trying to hide.

"Are you okay? You hit pretty hard Em," My aunt said.

I smiled nervously and said, "Yeah, I'm good. My body broke my fall."

"Em," my aunt said sternly.

"Kate, I think mini Beckett hasn't been sleeping properly," Castle said.

"Yeah, I noticed it too. Her eyes have been red, the bags under her eyes have been getting darker, and she's been passing out like this a lot. What's going on, Em?"

"Nothing's going on, I've just been tired lately," I said with a shrug.

"Something is seriously wrong, Em. You need to get enough sleep, it's unhealthy," My aunt said concern seeping through every word.

"Really it's nothing," I said.

"Come on mini Beckett, you need to tell us what's going on, or we won't be able to help you. We don't want this to get any worse," Castle said.

"I… I can't talk about it," I sighed.

"What can't you talk about?" my aunt asked.

"It's complicated okay. I don't want you to worry, I'll be okay," I said.

"Emily, I need you to tell me what's going on. You're worrying us," she said.

"Fine," I said.

"Come on, let's go to the interrogation room so it's more private," my aunt said.

We all moved to the interrogation room so I could tell them what was going on with me. I honestly didn't want to share this nightmare I've been having, but maybe if I get it off my chest, I'll be able to handle it better. I might even get rid of it for good.

"Okay, Em. What's been going on? It's been a few days," she said.

"You've noticed?" I asked.

"Of course I have. I'm your aunt and a detective, it's not hard to miss," she said.

"I just been having a recurring nightmare," I said.

"Oh, I hate nightmares. I had one when I was about your age," Castle said.

"What was it about?" my aunt asked me.

"Well you see," Castle started.

"Not you Castle. Emily," she said.

"Oh," he said.

"It's about the day I was taken and buried alive, but every time I'd wind up dead and sometimes I even see the funeral," I said.

"Emily," my aunt said sadly.

"That's pretty deep, mini Beckett. You should have told your aunt sooner," Castle said.

"I know, but I knew if I told her, she'd probably take me to a psychologist. I thought it would pass on its own," I said

"Something as traumatic as that wouldn't go away on its own. This is serious Em. How long have you been having these dreams?" she asked.

"About four days," I said.

"Are they getting worse?" she asked.

"A little yeah, it's hard to sleep. I barely got any sleep last night," I said.

"Geez, Em. I wish you would have told me," she said.

"I'm sorry," I said looking up at her sadly.

"It's okay," she said.

"Maybe Emily should see a specialist," Castle said.

"Yeah, I think it's for the best," my aunt said.

"I don't want to," I said.

"It'll be fine, Em. They aren't bad at all. I went to one when I was shot and going through PTSD. Sometimes I go by when I still feel down," she said.

"They aren't scary," I said.

"No I promise," she said.

"Okay, I'll go. I want some sleep," I said.

They chuckled at me and my aunt said, "I'll find you a psychologist and we'll go as soon as possible."

"Don't worry mini Beckett, I bet it'll be an interesting experience. I also know a few good kid Psychologist around here," Castle said.

"How do you know some?" my aunt asked.

"Well fundraisers, I wen to a few, and we were thinking of taking Alexis when her mother and I split," Castle said.

"Oh, well thanks. I'll appreciate that," she said.

"No problem, anything for my mini Beckett and bigger Beckett," Castle smiled.

* * *

Two days later, I was sitting in the waiting room at a psychology office. I was bouncing my leg so fast because of how nervous I was. I didn't want to explain all my problems to this person and especially if we would start at the beginning.

"Em, its fine. You'll be okay," my aunt said from her chair next to me.

"I'm nervous," I groaned.

"I know, but I heard this lady is really nice and Castle thought she was really friendly. Just give it a try, it might help, okay?"

"Okay, I'll try."

"Emily Beckett Roswell, she'll see you now," the receptionist said.

I looked over at my aunt Kate and she nodded with a small smile. I let out a breath and walked towards the lady's office. I went into the office to find a nice older woman who was probably a few years older than my aunt, and she was wearing a nice pant suit making her look completely professional. She smiled at me from her big comfy looking chair and said, "Have a seat on the sofa and get comfortable any way you'd like."

I nodded and sat down on the sofa, but I stayed pretty rigid because I was still extremely nervous. I looked at the psychologist, Dr. Lasseter, and she spoke again, "Hi Emily, I read your file that your aunt filled out and she told me a lot about you. I heard you've had trouble sleeping."

"Yeah," I said.

"It's okay Emily. I understand you're nervous, but just know I'm here to help you and we could take this session as slow as you'd like."

"Okay."

"Okay. Let's start out with something to light up the mood. What's your favorite hobby?"

"Really?"

"Yeah, I want to make you comfortable. We don't have to talk about you issue right away. We have an hour and some more sessions coming up. This is about getting to know you."

"Well, okay. I like skateboarding," I said.

"Really, how long have you been skateboarding?"

"Since I was about five. That's when I got my first skateboard."

"Wow, did one of your parents get it for you?'

"Yeah, but I think my mama stole it. She barely had any money, or maybe she earned some money to get it. I don't know."

"Why do you think that?"

"My mama was a drug addict. She rarely had any money to get anything. I was really surprised when I got the present under my tree."

"Hmm, interesting? Did your mother always do this?"

"Do what?"

"Drugs?"

"Yeah, since before I was born, my dad too, before he was murdered by his people."

"Wow, you've seemed to have a lot of trauma."

"I guess I have."

For the whole hour we talked about me when I was little. We barely touched on my issue with my dream. The hour was up and I was supposed to come back in two days for our next session. Even though we started on my childhood, I still felt like a little was less weight on my shoulders.

* * *

School was back in session and everything was seeming to be back in order. I was getting a great night sleep and the dream only happened one more time. My sessions with Dr. Lasseter have been great and today was my last session, and we were finally on my incident with me being buried alive.

I was scared to relive those moments but had to get through it so I'd be all right. I knew this would definitely help me in the long run and I wanted that.

"So walk me through the whole thing Emily," Dr. Lasseter said.

I nodded and started my story, "I hear don the news a few inmates broke out but I had no clue who. My aunt called and she didn't even know, but she told me to lock up. I did what I was told and then I went to bed. I woke up when I heard a loud crash from my window and saw him standing in the corner, but it was dark and I couldn't him at all, just a silhouette."

I let out a small shaky breath, scared of these memories I was laying out in the open.

"I know it's hard take your time."

"I turned on my light and noticed that it was Tony. I knew he wanted revenge, but I didn't think it would happen. We spoke and then he grabbed me, and I struggled to not get taken. He knocked me out and when I woke up I was tied up in some old and dirty building. He had his friend come with his truck and drove me to his father's land. When we got there he pulled me out of the truck and I landed on my hand breaking it. He pulled me up and walked me over to a hole and a coffin. His friends got the shovels and they threw me in there, nailing it shut, and then burying me six feet under. I was there for a long time and almost died, I even saw a hallucination of my mom, but my aunt saved me, just like she always did."

"Wow, I'm so sorry about that. At least you aunt Kate is always by your side. You'll never have to worry about anything as long as you're with her. You have come a long way, Emily. If you ever need anything you have many people who care about you. You're never alone."

"Yeah, I do. That's what helps me get through all these traumatic events even quicker and better."

"I can see that Emily. Well it looks like our last session is over. You've come a long way and I'm proud of you. If you ever need to see me again, I'll be here."

"Thanks Dr. Lasseter. You really helped me out."

"It was honestly no problem. You're a good kid."

"Thanks."

"No problem."

I left Dr. Lasseter's office one last time feeling great about everything. It's been a great few weeks and hopefully I won't have to undergo any more traumatic events in my near future. My aunt took me home and the whole way there we talked cheerfully about how my sessions really helped.

When we walked through the door of her apartment I was surprised to see Castle and Alexis there to greet us.

"What are you guys doing here?" I asked.

"Thought it would be nice to celebrate, your last session. We've seen it make a big difference on you and we thought it be fun," Castle said.

"Thanks," I said.

"No problem," Alexis and castle said together.

"So, do you feel better Emily? "Alexis asked.

"I feel great. I honestly never knew how much everything really affected me," I said.

"That's good to hear," My aunt said.

"Yeah it is," I said.

We ate the dinner that castle and Alexis brought over and I had a wonderful time. Now that I don't have many worries on my mind anymore, I honestly feel like a new kid. There is still a little something on the back of my mind, but I'm not going to think about it right now. I'm just going to stay in the moment and forget about it.


	28. Chapter 28

AN: Hello everyone, have a nice Thanksgiving to everyone who will be celebrating tomorrow. Thank you again to everyone for following, favouring, and reviewing this story. Here's the next chapter everybody, enjoy. Don't forget to Review. :)

Disclaimer: I do not own Castle or it's characters. I do not own American Idiot by Green Day.

* * *

Winter Talent Show

I was walking through the halls at school with my best friend Mike, heading home after a long day of class work. As we walked down the hall, I noticed a big poster stapled to the wall. I stopped Mike and we looked at the poster covering the wall. It said, "WINTER TALENT SHOW! Friday February 3, 2012. Sign up now in room 215. First place winner or winners will receive a $50 gift certificate to Barnes and Noble."

"Wow, a talent show," I said.

"Pretty cool. Are you going to enter?" Mike asked.

"I don't know, maybe. I've been practicing my guitar a lot and my lessons have been going really well. It might be fun."

"Yeah. Hey, maybe we can do it together."

"How?"

"I've been working with my dad's drum kit. He's taught me a few things, maybe we can be a band."

"That would be awesome. Let's go sign up. Maybe we'll win."

"Yeah, let's do this."

We went to room 215 and outside the door was a clipboard, holding the sign-up sheet. There was already about 15 names occupying the sheet and I was a little nervous on competing in front of people and with other possibly talented kids.

"We got this Emmy. We can beat these people," mike tried to assure me.

"It's not about winning, it's about embarrassing ourselves in front of everyone," I said.

"Yeah, I guess if we suck, we'll be the laughing stock of the whole school."

"Exactly, that means we have three and a half days to get our act ready and make it perfect."

"We can use my basement it pretty big, and my dad has his drums there."

"Okay sounds good."

"How about today?'

"I can't, I have to talk to my aunt first."

"Oh all right. We'll start tomorrow.'

"Sounds good."

I wrote our names on the sign-up sheet and for the first time in a while, I had butterfly's fluttering in my stomach. I've never performed or did anything in front of an audience before and if I don't get over my stage fright by Friday, it could be a disaster. We left school and went our separate ways. As I was heading home, I wondered about our act and what our song should be.

I decided to divert my walk and head to Castle's place. I think he could help give me some advice about facing an audience, since he does a lot of book signings and public speaking. I got to Castles apartment and knocked on the door. It opened to reveal Alexis, smiling cheerfully down at me and I returned it.

"Hi Alexis, is your dad home?" I asked.

"Not right now. What's up?" she asked.

"I need help."

"What kind of help?"

"I joined a talent show with my friend Mike and we're going to form a band, but the thing is I'm really nervous."

"Oh, you've got pre-performance jitters."

"Yeah."

"I could help with that. I am a performer after all," Mrs. Rodgers said as she came to the door.

"Really you'll help me?" I said with joy.

"Certainly anything for you."

"Cool."

They invited me in and Alexis and I sat on the couch while Mrs. Rodgers started her speech.

"Well, I used to get very nervous when I was on stage and performing, but after years and years of doing it I go a little bit better. I still get nervous when I'm up on stage, but I learned to channel my nerves and make a pre-performance ritual before I go on. Usually it helps keep me calm, and then once I'm out there, I'm as good as gold," she said.

"A ritual?" I asked.

"Yes, something that will help calm your nerves. Something you like, maybe a favorite song or squeezing a stress ball."

"Sounds like a good idea."

"Don't worry Emily. You'll do great. We'll all be there routing for you," Alexis said.

"Yes, we will. That reminds me of another thing, if you're too nervous to look at the audience point your focus on something else, or someone special that makes you feel comfortable," Mrs. Rodgers said.

"Okay, thanks you guys. I feel a little better and now I have great tips from a professional. I can do this," I said.

They smiled and Mrs. Rodgers said, "Yes you can Emily."

"Do you know what song you're doing yet?" Alexis asked.

"No, I have so many in my head, but I don't know which one we'll be able to figure out and be good at by Friday. Hopefully we'll pick a good one," I said.

"Don't worry, I'm sure you two will figure it out," Alexis said.

"Do you have a band name?" Mrs. Rodgers asked.

"Uh…I forgot about that. We have to have something awesome, so they'll remember the name," I said.

"You two have a few days to figure it out, but it seems like a lot of pressure," Alexis said.

"Yeah," I said wide eyed, thinking about only having a few days to pull this off.

"Don't worry yourself Emily, Once we were able to pull off a while performance in one day and we barely knew what we were doing. I'm sure three days will be plenty of time," Mrs. Rodgers said.

"What's going on?" Castle asked as he came in.

"Hey dad, we're helping Emily getting over her stage fright and getting ready for the talent show at her school," Alexis said.

"Oh, nice to see you mini Beckett. So you entered a talent show?" he asked.

"Yeah I did. Me and my friend, Mike are going to be a band and rock the stage," I said.

He chuckled and said, "Well I'll be rooting for you two. I bet it'll be amazing. When is it?"

"Friday," I said.

"We'll be there," he said.

I smiled and said, "Thanks everyone. I should probably head home before Aunt Kate gets mad."

"Okay, good luck mini Beckett," Castle said.

"Good luck Emily," Alexis and Mrs. Rodgers said.

"Thanks guys, bye," I said.

I left Castle's place and headed home, thinking about everything that could make our band win that competition or at least not embarrass ourselves. I got home and when I walked in my aunt was sitting on the couch and gave me a stern look.

"Where were you Em?" she asked.

"At Castle's," I said as I sat next to her.

"Why were you there?"

"I needed to learn how to deal with my stage fright. I joined the talent show with Mike."

"You joined the talent show?"

"Yeah, will you come?"

"Of course. When is it?"

"Friday."

"Okay, I'll definitely come to see you."

"Thanks. Can I go over to his house after school for the next few days, so we can practice?"

"Yeah, definitely. Practice makes perfect."

"Thanks."

"No problem."

"Do you want to help me make some dinner?"

"Sure."

We made some dinner and during the meal we discussed the pointers I received from Mrs. Rodgers and what I plan on doing for the talent show. My aunt also gave me some of her own advice and I took it gratefully.

* * *

The next day came around and right after school I headed home to grab my guitar case, then I went straight to Mike's house. When I got there, Leon opened the door and smiled sweetly at me.

"Hi, Emmy. I heard you and my brother were entering the talent show," he said.

"Yeah, it's going to be awesome."

"I bet it will. Come on he's down in the basement."

I followed Leon down to the basement and I saw Mike looking over his dad's drums. His dad had a whole bunch of awesome musical equipment in his basement and it was awesome.

"Hiya Mike," I said.

He smiled and said, "Hey Emmy. You can plug your guitar into my dad's amp."

"Wow, your dad has a lot of band equipment," I said.

"Yeah, our dad was in a band before we were born, but it never took off like they wanted it too," Leon said.

"Oh, I understand," I said.

"Well I'll let you two kids practice. Have fun," Leon said and left the room.

I set up my guitar and rested it against the wall.

"So Mike, what should our band name be?" I asked him.

"Hmm… I don't know," he shrugged.

"Me either."

"How about our names?"

"Nah, to bland. We need something to pop."

"True, this is hard."

"Tell me about it."

"How about Wicked Kids, but Kidz with a Z?"

"Huh, interesting. We'll keep it in mind. How about Searching Darkness?"

"That sounds cool."

"True, or Angels of My Heart?"

"Nah, seems girly."

"Does not."

"Does too."

"Okay fine."

"Ooh, how about Impaled by Darkness?"

"Ooh, I like that Mike. Okay, so we have our band name."

"Sweet. Okay so let's practice our entrance."

"Okay."

We pretended to enter onto the stage and I went to grab my guitar and stand at the mic, while Mike sat at his dad's drums and held his sticks.

"What are you going to say? We have to have some cool introduction," Mike said.

"Hmm… I'll figure something out, let's try it again," I said.

We started over and when I was at the mic, I said, "Good Evening Everybody! We're Impaled by Darkness and we're going to rock out tonight with one of my favorite songs…"

"That's cool. I like it," he said.

We went over it a few times until we felt like it was a really great intro.

"Okay before we think about a song what are we going to wear?" Mike asked.

"Maybe, a red tie, white T-shirt, black leather jacket, black jeans, and black sneakers. I'm going to where my beanie," I said.

"Okay cool, I'll spike my hair."

"Nice, we have our style," I said.

"True now we need a song," Mike said.

"Yeah, what should we do?"

"I don't know. Something awesome."

"Yeah, something we can rock out to."

"Yeah."

The rest of the day we thought about the song we were going to do and how we should do it.

* * *

The next two days went by fast and every day I went over to Mike's house to practice our performance for the talent show. It was finally here and we were standing in the back with the other acts, waiting to get up on stage in front of friends, family, and classmates. I was really nervous, but I tried to remember everything Mrs. Rodgers taught me.

I just jumped around backstage and hummed some rock tunes in my head. We were going to blow the audience away, or get suspended because we may or may not have a few choice words in the song.

"Hey Emmy, are you ready to rock this stage?" Mike asked.

"Definitely! We're going to kill it," I said.

"Yeah, we are."

"Is your family out there?"

"Yeah, is yours?"

"Yeah, even Castle and his family is here and a few people from my aunts precinct."

"Awesome."

Our principal came over to us and said, "Emily and Mike, you're up next. Go wait by the entrance of the stage."

"Okay," we said.

We stood by the entrance of the stage, waiting for our time to go. I fixed my black leather jacket and red tie while waiting. I stuck my hand into my pocket and almost forgot what I had in there. I pulled out the black eyeliner and tried to find a reflective surface.

"What are you doing?" Mike asked.

"Putting on eyeliner, you should too," I said.

"No way. I'm not wearing makeup, that's for girls."

"Come on, it's a part of our look. And if Billie Joe Armstrong can do it so can you."

"Okay, fine."

I put some eyeliner on him and he looked awesome.

"You look great," I said.

"Thanks, you too," he said as he loosened his red tie a bit.

We got ready and the principal started to announce the next act, "Up next we have a rock band coming up, so please welcome, Emily Beckett Roswell and Mike Mulligan."

We ran out on stage and I put my guitar over my head and grabbed the mic from the stand.

"Hey everyone, we're Impaled by Darkness and we have an awesome song for you guys tonight. We're going to be playing American Idiot by Green Day. Hope you enjoy," I said.

I put the mic back on the stand and let out a short breath. I looked out into the crowed and saw my aunt and everyone else who came out to support me. I felt really good that everyone was here to cheer me and Mike on, and I wouldn't have thought I'd be able to have support like this.

I got my bearings and nodded subtly at Mike and I started strumming the guitar making a lovely sound of one of the best songs ever. After a few strums of my guitar, Mike joined in banging on the drums both of us rocking out on stage, not caring about anyone but ourselves.

" _Don't want to be an American idiot_!" I sang.

I jammed out and stopped at the next line, " _Don't want a nation under the new mania!_ "

I joined back into the beat and stopped once more lifting my hand with my pick, singing, " _And can you hear the sound of hysteria?_ "

I joined in again and stopped again, hearing Mike rock those drums, and sang, " _The subliminal mind fuck America._ "

I could see the audience eyes grow wide, but I continued, it's not that bad. I continued strumming the guitar like I was the best rocker in America and banging my head like there was no tomorrow.

My legs joined into the action, my left leg going up and down to the beat of the songs. I sang the next lyrics with enthusiasm, " _Welcome to a new kind of tension. All across the alienation. Where everything isn't meant to be okay._ "

I went to the next lyrics and sang, " _Television dreams of tomorrow. We're not the ones who're meant to follow. For that's enough to argue."_

I stopped my guitar again and Mike was beating the drums and keeping a great steady rhythm flowing through him. I jumped up started jamming on my guitar, letting the music flow and making me feel it pulse through my veins.

I stopped again and sang into the mic, "Well _maybe I'm the faggot America._ "

I started playing again and then stopped to sing the next lyrics, " _I'm not a part of a redneck agenda._ "

I started strumming again and stopped, " _Now everybody do the propaganda._ "

I started again and stopped once more for the next part of the song, " _And sing along to the age of paranoia._ "

I started playing again and sang into the mic, singing the chorus of the song, " _Welcome to a new kind of tension. All across the alienation. Where everything isn't meant to be okay._ "

I sang the next part moving my head back and forth, " _Television dreams of tomorrow. We're not the ones who're meant to follow. For that's enough to argue._ "

I stopped and let Mike drum again for his short solo. Then I joined in and rocked on for my part. Since the next part was a long instrumental part, I decided to take on the stage and get down with the song. I strummed the guitar like I was crazy and spun around the stage.

I ran back to the mic to sing again and sang, " _Don't want to be an American idiot. One nation controlled by the media. Information age of hysteria._

We both stopped playing our instruments, so I can sing the next line, " _It's calling out to idiot America._ "

" _Welcome to a new kind of tension. All across the alienation. Where everything isn't meant to be okay._ "

" _Television dreams of tomorrow. We're not the ones who're meant to follow. For that's enough to argue._ "

I let him drum a little and joined back in to help end the song. We jammed a little longer, he stopped drumming for a second and I played a little bit of my guitar and they he joined back in and we ended the song with a nice cut off.

When it ended the audience was completely silent and if there were crickets, I'm pretty sure they'd be chirping right about now. When I thought all hope was lost, Castle stood up and clapped, followed by my aunt, and Castle's family, the precinct, and the rest of the audience. They erupted into cheers and loud claps, filling my heart up with pure joy.

Mike came up to me and whispered, "We totally rocked it."

"Yeah we did," I whispered back.

We gave a quick bow and left the stage. When we went back stage, the principal came up to us after he introduced the next act.

"You two did very well, but I'm going to have to disqualify you two," he said.

"Because of the profanity?" I questioned.

"Yes, sorry you guys, but those are the rules. Don't give up though, you two are very talented."

"Thanks," we said in unison.

Eventually the talent show ended and the person who one juggled some flaming balls on top of a unicycle. It was pretty amazing, it was too bad that we got disqualified, but it was totally worth it. I went out to the front of the school where I found Castle and his family with my aunt Kate waiting for me.

"Amazing job Mini becket. We have a true rocker on our hands," Castle said.

"Thanks," I said.

"Yeah, it was really good. Makes me afraid for when she hits the rebellious teens," my aunt said.

"She's going to be a handful," Castle said.

"Nice job Emily," Alexis said.

"Thanks," I said.

"Very well done, you seem to have had a great stage presence, with no fear at all," Mrs. Rodgers said.

"Yep, thanks to your great advice. I felt really composed," I said.

"Well I'm glad it helped," she said.

They said their goodbyes and headed home and we did too. On our way to my aunt's apartment she spoke up, "You know why you were disqualified, right?"

"Yes, I know. I totally understood, but I love that song. Plus a standing ovation is way cooler than winning some prize," I said.

My aunt smiled over at me and said, "I'm glad. Just for the record, no more bad words."

"Okay, I'll try."

"Emily…"

"Okay, I won't use any bad words until I'm 16."

"More like 21."

"But Aunt Kate."

"21."

"Fine."

We got home and I crashed on my bed, dreaming about having an awesome band someday.


	29. Chapter 29

AN:Thank you again to everyone for following, favouring, and reviewing this story. Here's the next chapter everybody, enjoy. Don't forget to Review. :)

Disclaimer: I do not own Castle or it's characters.

* * *

Will you be my Valentine?

Today was February thirteenth and the day before Valentine's Day. We were all sitting in class, awaiting the bell to ring, so we could go home. Our teacher got up in front of the class before it was time to leave and he said, "Okay, class. Tomorrow is Valentine's Day and the school is having a special father/daughter dance."

He passed out a pink piece of paper to all the girls in the class and finished his little speech, "I hope everyone has a good day and maybe we'll do something special for tomorrow. If you want to bring in a card for that special someone tomorrow you can, but it's not mandatory. See you all tomorrow."

Right after his speech the bell rung and we all quickly grabbed our backpacks and scrambled out the room.

"Are you going to the dance?" Mike asked.

"I can't, I don't have a dad," I said.

"Oh yeah, I forgot. That sucks."

"I guess, but it's no big deal. Who wants to go to a stupid dance anyway?"

"Yeah, I hear you. Dances are stupid."

"Yep definitely."

"See you tomorrow Emmy."

"See you tomorrow Mike."

I walked to the precinct because my aunt wanted me to stay with her because I might have had a little mishap with the stove. Don't worry though, I put the flames out on time. On the way there, I thought about the dance, and the truth is, I really wanted to go to the dance. Sometimes it really did suck not having a dad in your life, but sometimes you just have to make the best of it.

I arrived at the precinct with the balled up piece of pink paper in my hand. I went to my aunt's desk and found her inputting something on the computer. I threw the piece of paper away in her wastebasket and sat down in the chair next to her desk.

"Hey, Em," she said looking over at me.

"Hi, Aunt Kate," I said.

"How was school?"

"Pretty, good. We didn't get any homework for tomorrow and we might do something special for Valentine's."

"That's cool."

"Yeah, it is. He also said we can bring a card in for someone special if we want."

She smirked at me and asked, "Is there someone special you want to give a card to?"

"Aunt Kate…"

"Oh, come on. You seem to like that Mike kid. You two were adorable at the talent show."

"Okay, so I might like him a little."

"Mini Beckett has another crush?" Castle asked as he came out of nowhere.

"No…" I mumbled with a pout.

"Yep, she likes Mike," my aunt said.

"Aww, you two rocked that stage. I think you'd be adorable together," Castle said.

"You guys…" I groaned.

"Okay, I'm sorry. Do you want to give him a card though?" my aunt asked.

"I don't know. Should I?"

"I think you should, it would be cute," my aunt said.

"I don't want to be cute," I said.

"Well, that's pretty hard since you are," Castle said.

"Not helping," I said.

They laughed and my aunt said, "Make him a card Emily. I bet he'd really like it."

"Okay," I said.

"I think we have some colored paper in the back that you can use," my aunt said as she went to the back.

Castle sat in my aunt's seat and said, "So mini Beckett, you really like this Mike?"

"I guess so, I mean it's only the fourth grade," I said.

"Yeah, yeah. What else are you doing on Valentine's?" Castle asked.

"Nothing, probably just stay home after school, do homework if we get any."

"Sounds boring."

"Eh, it's only the fourth grade. How about you?"

"I don't know, Alexis is spending it with her friends and my mom has something to do. Hmm… Guess I don't have much plans either," he said with a small pout."

"Don't worry, Valentine's isn't that special anyway."

"But it's so romantic mini Beckett."

"I guess it is," I said with a shrug.

"It is. Hmm…maybe Beckett and I could do something together."

"Not a chance. I finally get a day off and I'm going to be relaxing at home," my aunt said as she placed some colored paper in front of me.

"And drinking wine. She does that a lot," I said.

My aunt gave me a light smack to the shoulder and said awkwardly, "I don't, and its only one glass."

"She starts with the glass, then opts for the bottle. It's easier that way," I said.

Castle tried to stifle his laughter and my aunt cleared her throat and said, "That was one time."

"I understand, I do the same sometimes," he smiled.

She smiled back and said, "Okay Em, write that love letter, and Castle, get out of my seat."

Castle jumped out of her seat and smiled guiltily at her.

"Just keeping it warm," he said.

"Yeah, sure," she said and sat down.

The rest of the time went by quickly and I made a cute little heart shaped card with two hearts intertwined with some tape and glue. I wrote on it, "I like you Mike, will you be my Valentine?"

Castle and Aunt Kate loved it and thought it was adorable. I just hope Mike likes it and doesn't think it's too cheesy.

* * *

The next day came and my aunt dropped me off at school. I was really nervous, I didn't want to give the card to Mike, but if I don't I might never know his true feelings for me. I walked over to Mike where he was putting his backpack in his cubby.

"Hi Mike," I said.

"Hi Emily, happy Valentine's Day," he said.

"Thanks, happy Valentine's Day to you too."

Mike took a card out of his jacket pocket and said, "Here, I made this for you."

"Wow, thanks. I made one for you too," I said, handing him the card.

He smiled at it and said, "Cool, I like you too. Read mine."

I looked at the cute handmade card and it said, "Happy Valentine's, Emily. I think your pretty, and I like you. Love Mike."

I smiled sweetly at him and said, "Thanks Mike. It's awesome."

"So you're my Valentine?" he asked.

"Yep."

"Sweet."

He gave me a hug and I hugged him back. The rest of the day went on and it was a blast. Our teacher even surprised us with a mini candy bar for each of us and let us watch a movie towards the end of the day. We didn't receive any homework either. I barely even focused on class today because I was so happy that Mike liked me back.

We left school and Mike actually held my hand. We went our separate ways and Aunt Kate actually picked me up since she had the day off. She was smirking at me and said, "Looks like someone had a good day."

I blushed and said, "Yeah, he made me a card too."

"See, isn't that cute. You two are adorable."

"Thanks."

"No problem, let's go home."

I nodded and we headed home and I told her what we did today. When we got to the apartment there was a pretty light blue dress and white flats on the couch and I wondered what that was for.

"What's that?" I asked.

"A dress," my aunt said.

"I know, but why is it here."

"Go put it on and you'll see soon."

"But…"

"Just put it on Emily."

"Okay."

I took the dress and shoes into my room and got changed into the pretty dress that just went past my knees. I put the shoes on and I checked myself in the mirror. I looked really pretty and I really liked the dress. I wondered why my aunt was making me get all dressed up. I went back to the living room to see my aunt Kate smiling at me.

"You look very pretty Em," she said.

"Thanks, but are you going to tell me what this is for?"

There was a knock on the door and I looked at it questioningly.

"Answer it," she said with a small smile.

I did as she said and opened the door to see Castle looking dashing in a nice suit with a smile on his face and holding a single red rose.

"Will you be my Valentine, mini Beckett?" he asked, handing me the flower.

I took the rose and said, "Yes, but what's it for?"

Castle took out a pink crumpled piece of paper that had the dance info on it and he said, "I found this in your aunt's trash can. I figured it would be nice to go. Your aunt agreed, so we set this up."

"Really!?" I said with excitement.

"Yep," he said.

"Wow, thanks you guys," I said.

"No problem Em. Have fun," my aunt said as she came over.

"Shall we go mini Beckett," he asked.

"We shall," I said.

"I'll have her back early," he said.

"Don't worry about it, keep her for as long as you want," my aunt said with a small laugh.

I glared at her and said, "Hey."

She bit her lip, holding in her laughter and said, "I'm kidding. Have fun."

I waved to my aunt Kate as we walked towards the stairs. Castle and I went down stairs and what awaited us was a sweet, sleek, black limo.

"Is this for us?" I asked in wonderment.

"Yep wanted this to be special," he said.

"Sweet, this is awesome Castle."

"It's nothing. I want this to be your day and have a great time."

I smiled at him and hopped into the limo while the chauffeur held the door. The whole way to my school, I couldn't stop sharing my amazement with Castle. I couldn't believe they did this for me. I didn't think I was going to go to the dance, but I'm glad Castle stepped in to be my father for the day.

We got to the dance and the gym was decorated with red, pink, and white decorations. They had a small buffet with tables on one side and on the other side, a space for the dance floor.

"Want to get some grub first? I'm starving," Castle said.

"Sure, I'm hungry too," I said.

We went over to the buffet and filled our plates up to the brim. During our whole dinner we laughed and joked with each other. Castle was just like a big kid and that's what made me like him so much, today he actually feels like my real father. Sometimes I wish he was and my aunt Kate to be my mom.

Once we finished our food we went to the dance floor and started dancing to the beat of the music. Castle spun me around and danced with me. He was being a goofball on the dance floor, but he did have a few decent moves. We danced for a while and just laughed at each other, having a great time. I didn't want this day to end, it's definitely been one of the best by far.

The DJ came on and said, "Okay, since it's getting towards the end of this father/daughter dance, let's slow things down and have a nice father and daughter slow dance."

The song slowed and I thought Castle and I would sit this one out, but he reached his hand out to me.

He whispered in my ear, "Stand on my feet."

I stood on his feet like he said and we danced around slowly together. I looked around and watched the other fathers and daughters dancing with each other, looking happy and in the moment. I looked up at Castle and he was smiling down at me, with a slight glimmer in his blue eyes. I smiled back at him and wondered what he was thinking about.

Eventually the song ended and we all gave an applause to the DJ and one by one we left the gym. On our way out, they had mementos for everyone in the form of a picture. I noticed the photographer going around, but I didn't know that's what it was for. Castle and I stopped at the table and looked for our picture.

"Here it is," he said handing it to me.

I looked at it and the photographer happened to capture the moment Castle and I were slow dancing and smiling softly up at each other. It made a small smile appear on my face and I was going to cherish this photo forever.

"That's a great picture," he said.

I looked up at him and said, "Yeah it is."

We left and went back to my aunt's apartment. He walked me to my door and Aunt Kate answered it with a smile.

"Did you two have fun?" she asked.

"I had a blast, Castle made today awesome," I said.

"I'm glad to hear that," she said.

I looked at Castle and pulled on his sleeve. He dropped down on to one knee and asked, "What is it mini Beckett?"

I didn't answer, I threw my small arms around Castle and gave him a huge hug. He let out a short gasp of surprise, but then I felt him chuckle slightly. He returned my hug and I whispered in his ear, "Thank you so much for tonight Castle. It was one of the best days ever. I love you."

"I love you too, Emily. It was no problem, I'd do anything for my mini Beckett," he said.

I gave him a peck on the cheek and pulled away from him. He smiled softly at me and stood up.

"Goodnight my two Beckett's. See you guys later," he said and left.

My aunt closed the door and said, "It must have been a really good day for you."

"It was, see our picture," I said, handing the photo to her.

The smile on my Aunt Kate's face was priceless and she said, "I'm glad it all worked out. It's getting late, you should head to bed."

"Okay, night Aunt Kate."

"Night Emily."

I went to my room, but before I did, I peeked over to my aunt Kate, who held the photo in her hand. She was staring at it with emotions I couldn't place, but I'm pretty sure she's falling for Castle even more.


	30. Chapter 30

AN:Thank you again to everyone for following, favouring, and reviewing this story. Here's the next chapter everybody, enjoy. Don't forget to Review. :)

Disclaimer: I do not own Castle or it's characters.

* * *

Doomsday Highway

Today was going to be epic! The whole fourth grade were getting ready to take an end of the year trip to the Bronx Zoo. My class was sitting on one of the school buses being loud and obnoxious with overexcitement. I was sitting next to Mike and our other friend, Shawn, was sitting in front of us with another kid we hung out sometimes, Kyle. Our teacher and our assistant principal were our chaperones and Mr. Linden was taking roll.

"Mike Mulligan?" he said.

"Yo," Mike said raising his hand.

Our teacher chuckled slightly and said, "Shawn Newt?"

"Sup," Shawn said, flashing a peace sign.

Our teacher shook his head and he had a few more names before he'd get to mine. Once he went through those he said, "Emily Beckett Roswell."

"Here," I said, raising my hand.

As he took the rest of the names, Mike, Shawn and I had a conversation together.

"What animal do you want to see?" Mike asked.

"I don't know, maybe a giraffe or orangutan," I shrugged.

"I want to see the lions, tigers, and bears," Shawn said.

"Oh my," I laughed.

We all giggled at the silly joke.

"I want to see a lemur or a crocodile," Mike said.

"That's cool," I said.

"Yeah, maybe I can get the lemurs to dance to "I Like to Move it" like in Madagascar. That would be awesome," Mike said.

We all laughed again and then our lively conversation was interrupted when our teacher said, "Okay, settle down everyone. We are going to start heading to the zoo, and I need everyone sitting in their seats correctly and I want you to use your inside voices for any conversations you have. Okay?"

"Yes, Mr. Linden," we all said simultaneously.

We started heading out, following the few buses ahead of us. It was so exciting and I'm glad I got to go because my aunt almost forgot to sign the permission slip.

"Do you think we'll be able to see all the exhibits?" Mike asked.

"I don't know, but I hope so. All of them seem like fun," I said.

"Yeah, maybe we can sneak off and see some if we don't get a chance to look at them all."

"I'm all for it, but if we get left behind, I'm blaming you."

"Fair enough. That would be fun though."

"It kind of would, but then I'd be in big trouble with my aunt."

"Yeah, my parents wouldn't like it very much either."

Throughout the whole trip to the zoo, everyone was talking amongst themselves. We pulled onto I-95 N and everyone was bustling because we knew we were getting close. Out of nowhere though I heard a large roar of an engine, flying past our school bus. I looked out the left side window which I was seated next to, and caught a glimpse of a sleek black van going by.

The van screamed suspicious and I wondered what they had done. When I thought they were just fleeing something, I didn't expect the next moment to happen. The back doors of the van flew open and two men wearing all black fired shot after shot on the highway.

"DUCK!" our teacher screamed with fear.

We all ducked behind our seats with our hands on our heads. It was like a scene out of a live action movie, but this wasn't just pretend, it was very real. The loud blasts from the guns were loud and carried through the bus. It felt like forever before the sounds stopped. I looked out the window to see the doors of the van close and then they took off down the highway, fleeing the scene. They left a barrage of bullets in their wake and the highway was littered with stopped cars which were riddled with bullet holes.

I looked around the area and a few of the windows were either shot out or had a bullet hole through them. Our school bus pulled over safely, but I heard our assistant principal, Mrs. Cleaver, let out, "OH MY GOD!"

I looked over to where our teacher was trying to help our bus driver keep pressure on his wound. He must have been shot during the attack, and I could see the blood spilling out and onto the two men's hands.

The bus driver spoke up with gritted teeth, "I'm fine. It only got my shoulder."

"All the blood," Mrs. Cleaver said.

"Its fine, Mrs. Cleaver. We have it under control. Call the police, even though many people probably already did," Mr. Linden said.

I watched our assistant principal dial her phone frantically and she kept looking over towards to the two men with fear.

"Emily?" Mike asked.

"Yeah," I said.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I am. How about you?"

"Yeah, I'm still in one piece."

"That's good."

Just a few minutes later, sirens were blaring down the highway. Ambulances and police cruisers were all over the highway. Some police officers were making notes and looking around while others were taking eyewitness accounts and helping the paramedics with the injured. It was a chaotic scene and I watched it all play out in front of me as we stood on the side of the highway.

Some of the cars and people were covered in yellow tarps, signaling that they did not make it through the wild events. I saw some more cars pull up and my aunt got out of one of them, and Castle was with her. My aunt looked around inspecting the area, and then she spotted me. I waved to her and she came walking over to me, Castle on her heels.

"Em, are you all right?" she asked.

"I'm fine Aunt Kate. Only our bus driver was seriously injured, only a few classmates got minor cuts from the glass," I said.

"Thank god," she said.

She pulled me in for a quick hug, to show that she was worried about me and glad I was okay. We pulled apart and Castle said, "Glad to see you're okay mini Beckett."

"Thanks Castle," I said.

"Em, did you see anything?" my aunt asked.

"Just the black van and two men in the back. I couldn't catch the license plate number," I said.

"Okay," she said.

We spent an hour on the scene, everyone was shaken up. From the kids, to other travelers, and even the parents picking up their children. It was a horrible day today and everyone knew it, we had to find these criminals before they struck again. When we got to the precinct, everyone was on high alert and the phones were ringing off the hook. It turns out, four people died and fifteen people were injured in on the highway. Esposito and Ryan came up to us with their work faces on.

"Beckett, we got some calls coming in that the vehicle used has been spotted," Esposito said.

"We were going to go check it out. Do you want to come?" Ryan said.

"Yeah, I'm coming. Em, stay here and don't get into trouble," she said.

"I won't," I said.

"Okay see you soon," she said.

"Okay."

"See you later mini Beckett," Castle said.

"See you later, Castle," I said.

I stayed at the precinct, waiting for the team to get back. I grabbed a few sticky notes and decided to doodle little monsters and shapes. The phones were calming down for a while, but right after my aunt, Castle, Ryan, and Esposito came back, the phones started ringing uncontrollably throughout the precinct.

"We have multiple calls coming from a few miles north of here. I need all hands on deck," the captain said as she came out of her office.

"We're on it," my aunt said.

Everyone left the precinct in a hurry, trying to catch these maniacs before any more damage can be done.

* * *

Three hours later Ryan was dragging a man with handcuffs into the precinct. The man looked dangerous and I didn't like the tattoo over his left eye. It looked like three red claw marks going across it, making it look very eerie. The man took a quick glance at me and gave me an evil yellow and black toothed grin. Ryan took him into the interrogation room and my aunt went in with them.

"Hey mini Beckett, how's it going," Castle asked me.

"It's going pretty good. Is he one of the shooters?" I asked.

"We're pretty sure. Three others were gunned down by the police."

"Wow, that's crazy, but I'm glad it's over."

"Yeah, well at least we hope."

I nodded at him and then his phone started to ring. He checked his phone and quickly rejected the call. I looked at him quizzically and asked, "Who was that?"

"No one," he said.

It started ringing again and he rejected the call for a second time.

"Is it important?"

"Nope."

His phone rang for a third time and he answered it and said lowly, "Not now Natalia. We're just friends, bye."

"Who's Natalia?" I asked.

He cleared his throat and said, "No one."

"Is she your girlfriend?"

"No she's just a friend."

"Uh-huh."

"Yep."

It went silent between us and I was kind of sad that Castle apparently went back to his playboy ways. I heard my aunt talking to Lanie on the phone one night and they were talking about it. My aunt also said on the phone that it might be too late for her and Castle. I just hoped it wasn't true. I was pulled from my thoughts when a commotion came from the interrogation room.

Everyone ran towards the room and Esposito quickly opened the door. What greeted all of us was a very hostile situation, Ryan was knocked out and the man had the chain of his handcuff around my aunt's throat, holding her close to his large body. Esposito drew his gun and pointed it at the man.

"Let her go, Mr. Halligan," Esposito said.

"Drop your gun, and I'll think about not killing her," Mr. Halligan said.

My aunt looked over at me, fear present in her eyes. I wasn't sure if she was more afraid of me seeing her in this predicament, or for her life, but it's probably both. The man grabbed her tighter and I said, "Aunt Kate."

Castle quickly grabbed me and pulled me away and I was trying to fight him off, but to no avail, he was able to take me away from the scene. I was frantic and I wanted to make sure my aunt Kate was going to be okay. Castle dropped down, trying to get to my level and he grabbed me by the shoulders.

"Emily look at me," he said.

I looked at Castle and he said, "Your aunt is going to be fine."

"We don't know that."

"Yes we do. There isn't much he can do with a room full of cops."

"Yeah, but it can take one mistake."

"Trust me. She'll be fine."

Just then a gun shot went off and everything was silent. I wanted to rush out of the room to go see, but Castle grabbed me and held me close.

"It's fine Emily. She'll be here any minute," he whispered to me.

I stayed in his arms, watching the door of the break room for any sign of my aunt Kate. The longest ten seconds of my life went bye, I saw my aunt coming in, and I ran into her rms. She hugged me tight and said, "It's okay, Em. I'm fine, nothing happened to me."

"I know, I was just really scared," I said.

"I know, you were. Esposito took him down with no trouble and Ryan just has a little cut. Everything is okay," she said as she smoothed away my hair and looked at me with concern.

"I'm glad you're okay," I whispered.

"Me too," she said.

She looked up at Castle and said, "Thank you for staying with her."

"It was nothing. I knew you didn't want her to see that," he said.

She nodded and said to me, "I'm going to talk to the captain and write up some paper work as quick as possible and then we can head home."

"Okay," I said.

She gave me a quick kiss on the cheek and went off to see the captain.

I let out a sigh and leaned against the wall. I looked up and saw Castle looking at me with a small smile, "Hey, it's okay mini Beckett."

"Yeah, today it was. There's been so many close calls lately. What if one day we don't get lucky?" I said.

"I understand what you're getting at. Don't worry about it though, we just have to stay positive."

"Yeah, I guess so. It's just hard to think that you might not fulfill something on your bucket list because life went to fast. Especially when it's so clearly in front of you."

Castle cocked his head with a questionable face and asked, "What are you saying Emily?"

"Emily, come on," I heard my aunt say from her desk.

I gave Castle a small smile, hoping he knew what I was talking about. Hopefully, I'll be able to get through to one of them. It's never too late to bring two people who are meant to be together, together. I'll figure something out, I always do.

I left with my aunt Kate, heading home after the hectic day we had. We had some dinner, but instead of going straight to bed, I broke out my small notebook that I've made a little after I started living with Aunt Kate. I flipped to the page that said, "Tactics on getting Aunt Kate and Castle together."

Half of the items were marked off with large X's, but I'll be bound to find the perfect idea on getting those two together. It might not be today, it might not tomorrow, but definitely sometime soon. The whole night I stayed up, making plans in my little notebook to bring this dream home.

* * *

AN 2: Get ready Caskett lovers, the next chapter is finally going to be the moment we've been waiting for. I'm shooting to get it done by Sunday, and hopefully it turns out as good as I want it to. :)


	31. Chapter 31

AN: Mentions season 4 episode 23 and season 5 episode 1. Thank you again to everyone for following, favouring, and reviewing this story. Here's the next chapter everybody, enjoy. Don't forget to Review. :)

Disclaimer: I do not own Castle or it's characters.

* * *

Out of the Loop

Things have been a roller coaster ride for the past few months. Aunt Kate and Castle have been getting back into the groove of things, just like old times. Then an unsuspecting twist came when my grandma's and Captain Montgomery's murders came back into the forefront. My aunt Kate was enthralled in the investigation and wasn't going to let it go.

No matter how much we wanted her to let it go, she wanted to crack this case wide open. She didn't even care that she was putting her life in danger. All she wanted was justice for my grandmother and captain Montgomery. I felt bad, but there wasn't much I could do, a recently turned ten year old only has so much stuff up their sleeves.

I could tell everyone was worried for her, from everyone at the precinct to Castle. Of course Castle was worried about her, he loved her, but my aunt was really pushing him away this time, and all he was trying to do was keep her safe. My aunt was pissed at him for withholding evidence, so she kept proceeding with the case, even though all the warnings she got, and not just from Castle, but from everyone.

Aunt Kate made some stupid judgment calls during that time and it wound up getting her and Esposito on administrative leave. Yet my aunt went out on a limb and threw her whole life away by resigning. I don't think it's for good though, I think she just made a rash decision and sometime soon she'll go crawling back to the precinct.

She loves her job, and I could see it eating her up inside when she came home that day. She barely spoke any words to me. I decided to leave her alone that night, so she can get her thoughts together, I heard her leave the apartment. I had no clue where she was going, especially since it was raining like cats and dogs. I felt bad for her, but I knew this was something she needed to get through. Everything was falling apart around her and I knew that feeling all too well.

She never came home that night and I wondered where she was. I hoped she was okay, but its aunt Kate, she can pretty much handle herself. So when the morning came around and there was still no sign of her, I did what any concerned child would do, well I panicked of course, but then I called my aunt's phone.

It rang and rang until she finally picked up the phone, "Emily, are you okay?"

"Yeah, are you okay? You never came home last night," I said.

"I'm fine, I'll be back soon. I just needed to work some things out."

"Okay, see you later."

"Okay."

My aunt came back a little after we got off the phone and for some reason she seemed a lot more chipper then yesterday.

She smiled brightly at me and said, "Hey Emily. How are you?"

I looked at her dumbfounded and said, "I'm fine. Why are you so chipper?"

She let out a small chuckle and said, "I'm always chipper Emily."

She walked passed me and ruffled my hair, making her way to the kitchen. I followed her and said, "No you're not."

She leaned against the counter and said, "Listen Em. Things have been really crazy lately, but last night I found myself. I think resigning from my job is really going to be good for me. Maybe we'll spend more time together and have some fun."

"Really, you're happy about it?"

"Yes I am. I think this'll be good for us. I'm going to get changed and then we can have some breakfast."

"Okay."

She smiled and gave me a peck on the forehead, heading off to her room to change. I leaned against the kitchen counter, resting my head in my arms and thinking about the sudden change in my aunt. I have no clue why she's so happy and chipper after the past few days she had. Maybe quitting her job lifted a giant weight off of her shoulders, and I'm happy if she's happy. I smiled to myself, maybe things are looking up, and hopefully she'll make up with Castle too. I don't want to see their blooming friendship go out the window.

"All right, Em. What do you want for breakfast?" she asked as she sauntered in with a new pair of clothes.

"How about waffles?"

"Okay, waffles it is."

We made some waffles and put some fresh fruit on them, I had blueberries and she had strawberries. We ate happily together and talked about everything but her old job. It was honestly really fun, and I can definitely see a big difference in her. I just wish I knew how she got over everything so fast. I just hope it stays like this.

After we cleaned up, we were about to go into the living room and watch some TV, but there was a knock on the door. She opened the door, and standing there in all his ruggedly handsome glory was none other than Castle.

"Hi Castle. Give me a second," she said and let him in.

She walked over to me and said, "Emily why don't you go to the park."

"What why?" I asked.

"I need to have a grown up conversation with Castle," she said.

"But…"

"No buts. Please, Em?'

"Okay," I said.

"Thank you Em."

I nodded my head and grabbed a jacket.

"See you later guys," I said.

I walked out and went to the park. I wondered what they were talking about. I hoped they were making up after the tough year they've been having since the whole sniper incident. Maybe I can put my plans into action now that things have been lightening up.

* * *

I spent about an hour at the park and when I returned to our apartment, my aunt Kate and Castle were just about to leave.

"Where are you going?" I asked.

"We're going to work on some leads we got from Ryan," my aunt said.

"I thought you were done with the case."

She put on a small, sad smile and said, "I know, but this could get out of control if we don't stop this man soon. I'll see you later."

"Okay," I said.

"Don't worry mini Beckett, I'll watch out for her," Castle said.

"Thanks Castle," I said.

He gave a short nod and then they were out the door. I actually thought it was going to be over and now they're going deeper into it. They better catch the guy who is trying to kill Aunt Kate. I don't want her to die anytime soon, or ever. I know everyone has her back, I just hope that's enough for this particular case.

* * *

Night time was coming around and three people came walking into the apartment.

"Hey, Em," my aunt said.

"Hi, how'd it go," I asked.

"Don't ask," Castle said.

I nodded and said, "Nice to see you Esposito."

"You too, mini B," he said.

They got some beers and went into one of the rooms to discuss the case. While they all stood around, conversing with each other, I just listened to some music on the couch. There was some noise coming from outside, so Esposito and my aunt held their guns at the ready while Castle grabbed something to defend himself too. My aunt gave me a silent command to stay behind Castle, and I did as I was told.

Esposito opened the door, and it turned out to be Ryan with some paper he got from the scene they were at earlier. We let him in and they poured the bag of paper onto the table, trying to sort it out. It was one giant puzzle that I wouldn't have the patience to solve. While they spent the night sorting out the thousands of shredded pieces of paper, I went to bed because I don't think my aunt really wants me involved.

* * *

The next day I heard a commotion going on out in the front room. I decided to go check it out, and I found Ryan, Esposito, and Castle looking frazzled.

"She's going to kill senator Bracken," Castle said.

"Who is?" I asked.

They all looked over at me, and apparently I wasn't supposed to here that.

"Nothing Emily. Just stay here okay," Castle said.

"Is Aunt Kate going to get herself into trouble?"

"Not if we get to her in time," Esposito said.

"Don't worry mini Beckett, we'll get you aunt out of this mess," Ryan said.

"Stay here okay," Castle said.

"Okay," I said and watched them leave.

Was my aunt really planning on killing the senator? They better stop her because I don't want to have to visit my aunt in the slammer. I honestly don't think Aunt Kate would be stupid enough to kill him, but when you've got your mind on revenge, it's hard to think clearly.

Aunt Kate came home later that day and said, "Hey Em."

"Hi Aunt Kate. You didn't kill the senator?" I asked.

"No I didn't. I just had a little chat with him."

"That's cool."

"So Emily is it okay if I go back to work."

I smiled at her and said, "Yeah, definitely. It's what you love."

"Yeah," she smiled and pulled me close.

"I love you Aunt Kate," I said.

"I love you too."

* * *

That was two weeks ago and in a few days my aunt Kate will be returning back to her job because her suspension was almost up. Since it was the summer, I had a lot of time on my hands and since Aunt Kate was off too, we spent a lot of time together. Today I went to the skate park and met up with Mike, Leon, and Shawn.

We all dared each other to do wild tricks, thankfully no one got hurt, but we did come close a few times. After that we got some ice-cream from a new shop that opened up a block from the park. They had incredible flavors and there was so many to choose from, it was hard to decide what we should get. We all decided to get something different and then go around the table tasting each other's ice-cream.

Things have been awesome lately and it feels like I've entered into a whole new dimension. Alexis graduated, Castle and Aunt Kate have been getting along swell, my aunt and I have been spending a lot of time together, and life is really looking up. I headed home after my fun afternoon and when I opened the door, what greeted me was a very peculiar sight.

My aunt was up against the wall with Castle very close to her body and they were kissing with passion. My eyes went wide as I stood there in shock, watching Castle practically devour my aunt's mouth. It was pretty gross. My aunt took a glance over at me and her face pretty much matched my own. She pushed Castle away and he landed on his butt just a few inches away from her.

"What the heck?" he mumbled.

Castle followed her eyes and saw me, then his face practically lit up in horror.

"Em…" my aunt said slowly.

I looked between them and said, "I don't know whether to barf or congratulate you two. I'm leaning more towards both."

My aunt rolled her eyes and she tried to fix her rumpled shirt.

"How long have you been there?" Castle asked a he got up, his hair was disheveled and his cheeks were lightly tinged pink.

"Long enough for my ice-cream to come back up," I said.

"Emily, you can't tell a soul," my aunt said to me sternly.

"So you two are together? How long?" I asked.

"Yes, we are. It's only been about a week. Promise me you won't tell anyone," she said.

"You can count on me," I smiled.

"We're doomed," my aunt said.

"We can give her the benefit of the doubt," Castle said.

"Castle, remember the New Year's Eve party?" she said.

"Oh yeah… We are doomed," he said.

"It was an accident," I said.

"Yeah, and we can't afford another accident, especially one of this extent," she said.

"I understand. Wait, am I the only one who knows?" I asked.

"Sadly yes. We were going to wait before we told anyone, but it looks like it didn't work out that way," she said.

"Oh, so your mom and Alexis doesn't even know?" I asked Castle.

"Nope, I'll probably wait until they get back from Europe," he said.

I nodded and my aunt said, "Em, please don't tell anyone."

I looked between them and said, "I'll do the best I can."

"Thank you," she said, giving me a hug.

"Thanks mini Beckett," Castle said.

"No problem. So, is Castle gonna be my uncle?" I asked.

"Okay, let's not get ahead of ourselves," she said to me.

Behind Aunt Kate Castle nodded his head, and mouthed the word, "yes."

"Castle, I can see you," she said.

"Well, I mean it would be nice," he said with a shrug.

She smiled softly and said, "Yes it would, but we just got together. I'd like to take this at least a little slowly."

"How slow?" Castle asked nervously.

"Not that slow. At least until we actually announce our newly kindled romance," she said.

"Okay, but that could be awhile," Castle said.

"Yeah I know, but don't worry Castle, it'll be worth it," she said with a smile.

He smiled back and said, "It totally will."

I smiled and said, "This is awesome, I wish I could tell the whole world."

They gave me a look and I said, "Which I won't. I was just saying."

They laughed at me and I got to spend the rest of my day with my two favorite people in the world. I'm so happy they are finally together after this long. Maybe one day they'll actually get married, but until then, I have to try to keep my lips sealed and not spill the beans. This is going to be very, very hard.


	32. Chapter 32

AN: Mentions season 5 episode 4. Thank you again to everyone for following, favouring, and reviewing this story. Here's the next chapter everybody, enjoy. Don't forget to Review. :)

Disclaimer: I do not own Castle or it's characters.

* * *

Under Pressure

It's been a few weeks since I found out my aunt Kate was dating Castle, and I'm still over the moon. I'm so happy for them and I hope this blossoms into something epic. I still have to keep this secret, but at least now I have two people to cross off my list. Mrs. Rodgers already figured out that they were dating and Castle eventually told Alexis when she was moving out to go to college.

I was thankful to have two less people to spill the secret to, but the precinct is the hardest and most dangerous one to accidently drop the bomb. I've been making sure to spend less time around there, so I didn't accidently tell everyone the awesome and exciting news. It's very hard, but so far, I think I'm doing a pretty good job.

This weekend my aunt Kate is going to the Hamptons with Castle and she's actually leaving me home alone. She said that she trusted me to stay home alone since I'm ten now. She also gave me a stern warning that if anything was misplaced or destroyed, she will never ever leave me home alone again. I understood her warning and I'm going to make sure this place stays in tip-top shape until she gets back.

These two days were going to be awesome though, being home alone, eating junk food for any meal, and ordering whatever I want because she left me with fifty bucks. This is going to be the most splendid weekend ever. I hope Aunt Kate and Castles weekend are just as good as mine.

* * *

Today was Saturday, and I was watching cartoons while eating a bowl of ice cream. Aunt Kate was probably having so much fun in the Hamptons with Castle, I wish I could have gone, I bet it's beautiful there. Maybe next time when they don't want any alone time, they'll actually take me with and have a family fun day, with Alexis and Mrs. Rodgers. That would be so cool.

The phone rang and I quickly picked it up, answering it with a simple, "Hi."

"Hi, Em. What are you doing?" Aunt Kate asked.

"Watching TV and eating some breakfast."

"Uh-huh. What are you eating for breakfast?"

"Cereal?" I said in a form of a question.

"Em, please tell me you're not eating junk food for breakfast."

"Well technically its desert. Plus its strawberry ice cream, so technically it's a fruit."

"Emily, that's not breakfast and it doesn't count as a fruit."

"Well it kind of does," I heard Castle say in the background.

"See Castle gets it," I said.

"He doesn't count. Anyway, please eat something other than junk food for your meals Emily. Also don't order anything to unhealthy with the money I left you," she said.

"Okay I won't. So are you having fun?" I asked.

"Let's just say, I'm working after all. It's something I didn't have in mind when spending the weekend in the Hamptons."

"Really a murder!?"

"Yep a murder. And he stumbled right into Castle's pool."

"Sweet."

I heard Castle speak happily in the background, "Yeah, it's totally awesome."

My aunt sighed and said, "Yeah, but I rather be doing a lot of other things then solving a murder."

"You should be having a vacation Aunt Kate. Sorry it got spoiled."

"Yeah, but at least I'm solving it with Castle."

"Aww…"

I could practically see my aunt rolling her eyes before she said, "Anyway, just be good and remember what I said."

"I know, don't destroy the apartment and eat better food."

"Good, I'll see you when I get back and I'll probably keep checking up on you."

"Okay. Bye Aunt Kate."

"Bye Em."

"Bye mini Beckett," Castle said.

"Bye Castle," I giggled.

We hung up and I finished my ice cream while continuing the cartoon I was watching. A little while after the cartoon ended and I cleaned out my bowl, there was a knock on my door. I opened the door and was surprised to see Ryan and Esposito there with determination on their faces.

"Um, what are you doing here?" I asked.

"We want to know who your aunt is dating," Esposito said as they walked in.

I closed the door behind them and said, "What makes you think she'd tell me?"

I tried to play it cool and hopefully they wouldn't see through any of my lies.

"She has a point. Remember the New Year's Eve party," Ryan said.

"Oh yeah. Guess Kate would definitely keep the secret from her," Esposito said.

"Why does everyone bring that up?" I asked.

"Because you told the one of the deepest darkest secrets about your Aunt Kate," Ryan said.

"Yeah, that wasn't my best moment," I said."

"Nope, I don't think that would be anybody's best moment," Esposito said.

"Well, we're sorry for bothering you mini Beckett," Ryan said.

"Yeah, but if you find anything out. You let us know," Esposito said.

"Sure, uh-huh. I'll keep you two posted definitely," I said.

They both cocked their head to the side and looked at me questionably.

"Do you know?" Esposito asked.

"No, I really don't. She hasn't brought him around," I said.

"Mm-hmm, sure. Well if you do know, you're breaking our hearts," Ryan said.

"Yeah, we thought we were close," Esposito said.

I rolled my eyes and said, "I don't know anything."

They both sighed and Esposito said, "Fine, but we're going to find out. We're good detectives."

"Yep, Beckett won't be able to hide this guy from us," Ryan said.

"Okay… Well, good luck with that," I said.

"Thank you mini B. We'll see you around and next time we'll know who your aunt's boyfriend is," Esposito said.

"Sure," I said.

I walked them to the door and waved goodbye as they headed towards the stairs. I closed the door and leaned against it with a heavy sigh. That was a close one and if I would have told them the secret, Aunt Kate would be furious with me. This is definitely going to be harder than I thought, but hopefully Ryan and Esposito find out with their own snooping instead of me blabbing to them.

* * *

The next couple of days went off without a hitch until I got another unsuspected knock on our apartment door. I opened it up and it was Ryan, but Esposito wasn't with him. He gave me a small friendly smile and said, "Hi Emily."

"Hi Ryan. Where's your partner in crime?" I asked.

"Probably at home. I wanted to ask you something."

"What?"

"Is your aunt dating Castle?"

"What!?" I said surprised.

"I was interrogating someone in our investigation and he said Castle was dating Kate. Is it true?"

"Yeah, but you didn't hear it from me."

"Nah I wouldn't rat you out. I already knew anyway."

"True. Did you tell Esposito?"

"No, I don't think he'd be able to keep his mouth shut."

"How comes you are?"

"Because I know they want this to be a secret. They should have their privacy."

"Thanks Ryan. Well at least I have another person off my list of people to not tell. That's definitely a relief."

He chuckled and said, "Well, I'm glad. I'll see you around mini Beckett. Have a goodnight."

"You too, Ryan," I said.

I'm happy that Ryan knows and I wasn't even the person to tell him. Hopefully, he'll be able to keep this large secret, and maybe Esposito will drop it. I went to bed feeling slightly at ease, knowing that there are only three more people that I need to keep the secret from.

* * *

The next day, Aunt Kate and Castle came back. He helped bring the small bag she brought to the Hamptons into the house and placed it by the couch.

"Hi, guy's. How was the trip?" I asked.

"It was actually pretty good. We helped solve the murder and we even had some time to ourselves," my aunt said.

"Sounds like a great time."

"It definitely was. Now I have inspiration for my next book," Castle said happily.

"That's good," I said.

"So did anything happen while I was gone?" my aunt asked as she looked around.

"Nope, everything was normal," I said with a shrug.

"Looks like it. Ooh, pizza," Castle said as he took out a slice from my box I got last night.

"Eww… Castle," my aunt said disgusted.

"What? It's fine. It still tastes really good. I love this place anyway," Castle said as he ate the pizza.

"He's right I had some for breakfast," I said.

"You two are going to drive me crazy," she said.

"I think we already have," he said with his mouth half full.

"Yeah, that's definitely true," she said with a small chuckle.

"I'm glad you two are dating," I said.

"I know you are," my aunt said, hugging me to her side.

"Yeah, it's great. We even figured out a couple name," Castle said.

"Like Brangelina?" I asked.

"Yep, but its Caskett," Castle said with a smirk.

"Cool, because of the murder thing," I said.

"Exactly," he said smiling.

"It's actually pretty cool," my aunt said.

"Yeah it is. That should totally be on your wedding invitations," I said.

My aunt gave me a small glare and said, "Stop trying to plan our wedding."

"Sorry, I can't help it. It's exciting," I said.

"That would be pretty cool. You're invited to a Caskett wedding," Castle said.

"It sounds morbid and depressing," she said.

Castle chuckled and said, "I guess it does. Still kind of cool though."

"Yeah it is," I said.

"Okay you two. Castle I'll see you soon and Emily, I'm making you a healthy lunch," she said.

"Yay," I said sarcastically.

She gave me a pointed look and I smiled up at her sheepishly.

"Okay, see you later my Beckett's. Have a good day," Castle said.

He gave Aunt Kate a soft kiss and then he gave me a big hug. She walked him to the door and said another goodbye, before we went off to the kitchen to make a healthy lunch. It's great having Aunt Kate back, but it was kind of fun not having her around. At least she got to have an awesome romantic vacation with Castle. Now I have to make sure I don't tell her that Ryan knows that they are together. Great, another secret to keep.


	33. Chapter 33

AN: Thank you again to everyone for following, favouring, and reviewing this story. Here's the next chapter everybody, enjoy. Don't forget to Review. :)

Disclaimer: I do not own Castle or it's characters.

* * *

The Third Wheel

I was getting ready for school, when the phone started ringing. I wondered who it could be at this hour.

"Em, get the phone," my aunt said from the bathroom.

"Okay," I replied back.

I picked up the phone and answered it. The phone crackled a little bit and then an automated message started playing, "Do to the sleet we've been having. One wing of the school has been flooded do to a leak in the ceiling in one of the classrooms. We thought it be best to close the school for an early weekend, so we can get everything cleaned up. Have a good weekend and we hope to see you back on Monday. Goodbye."

The automated message ended and I hung up the phone. Yes, no school today. I love when we get an extra day off, but usually that means we'll have to sacrifice another one to fit in the days we missed. Aunt Kate came into the living room and asked, "Who was on the phone?"

"The school called and said they had a flood in one of the wings at school. So schools canceled today for an early weekend," I said.

"Wait, you're not going to school today?"

"Nope."

"Great. Now I have to cancel with Castle."

"I forgot about your date with Castle. You don't have to miss it."

"Yeah, but I can't leave you here because maintenance is supposed to be sweeping the whole apartment to clear out some bugs. The whole building is supposed to be gone from 11:00am to 1:00pm."

"Oh yeah, I forgot about that too. Maybe I can just go to the brunch with you guys."

"I guess you're going to have to come. I'll let Castle know I'm bringing you along."

"Okay."

* * *

We were out for brunch at a local restaurant Castle liked to go to. He wasn't mad that I was tagging along, he actually thought it would be kind of fun hanging out with both of his Beckett's. We were eating by the window and Aunt Kate and I were sitting together while Castle was sitting in front of us. I ordered a large stack of pancakes while my aunt ordered an omelet, and Castle ordered a Friday special, which had so much stuff on his plate I thought it would spill over.

"Are you really going to eat all that Castle?" my aunt asked.

"Yeah, why? It's not that much," Castle said with a shrug.

"It could feed an Army," she said.

"Well I'm hungry and it's too good to let it go to waste," Castle said as he picked up a slice of bacon.

My aunt laughed and said, "Okay Castle."

I stole a piece of sausage off of Castles plate and ate it.

"Hey, you little munchie monster. That was my sausage," Castle said with a playful pout.

"I know, and it was really good," I said with a smile.

"Okay, then I'll have a piece of your pancake," he said and cut a piece of my pancake, eating it with a smirk.

I huffed with a smirk of my own and said, "Fine… I have plenty of pancakes."

He stuck his tongue out at me and then I stuck mine out at him.

"Okay, my two children. Stop playing with each other's food," Aunt Kate said with a small chuckle.

We all started laughing and finishing our food. We continued having small talk, but it was mostly Aunt Kate and castle who were having a conversation of their own, while I stared out the window. Eventually we left the restaurant and were walking down the street together.

"I had fun today," my aunt said.

"Yeah, so did I. It was fun having mini Beckett around. Maybe we should have days like these more often," Castle said.

"That would be cool, I like spending time with the both of you," I said.

Castle hugged me to his side and said, "I'm glad. You know, since we do still have some time to kill and we're already out and about. Why don't we go to this awesome arcade just a few blocks away?"

"That would be so much fun," I said.

"Yeah, we can do that. It would be nice," my aunt said.

"All right, to the arcade," Castle said.

We walked a few blocks to the arcade and it was an extremely large place. It looked exciting and I couldn't wait to play all the games in there. We went inside and there was tons of games lined up along the wall and some in the middle of the gaming floor. We got some coins from the coin machine and Castle and I both were like children in a candy store.

Castle went to one game and I went to another. I decided to play some of the classics like Pac-Man and Galaga. I was having a blast and my aunt Kate looked like she was having a fun time too. We even played some games together which was really fun. We played some air hockey and foosball. I won a few of the games we played together, but Castle was really good.

We were about to leave after two hours of fun and games, but there was one last game I wanted to play before we left. It was the claw machine and there was a very cute blue and green teddy in there that I wanted. I wasn't very good at this game, but sometimes I'd get lucky.

"You sure you can do it?" my aunt asked as she handed me a dollar.

"I think so. I really want that bear," I said.

"You can do it mini Becket," Castle said.

I took the three turns that the game gave me and each time I got closer and closer, but I couldn't get the right angle to snag the prize I wanted.

"Oh well," I said.

"Here let me try. I was pretty good at this game in the past, I even won Alexis a few when she was younger," Castle said, stepping in to claim the prize I wanted.

He put a dollar in and cracked his knuckles before he took ahold of the joy stick that controlled that shiny claw of broken dreams. He maneuvered the claw to be at a good spot, which wasn't too far away from the teddy but it wasn't right on top of it. Castle had a serious look on his face, making himself look like he was seriously determined to win me the teddy.

His first try turned out to be a bust, the teddy bear just slipped out of the claws grasp as it was being pulled up. The second time the same deal happened. Castle was doing really well, but it wasn't good enough for the evil game that liked to toy with people's emotions. It was Castle's final turn and I think we were all holding our breaths as he hit the button for the claw to go down and clamp around the teddy.

Anticipation was high as it wrapped tightly around the midsection of the teddy and it started coming back up, with the teddy lightly resting in the hands of the claw. So far the teddy was still nestled snuggly in the claw and it was bringing it over to drop it down the chute to the prize box. We were all excited as we watched it going slowly to the prize box, hoping it wouldn't fall as it got closer and closer.

It finally reached the drop section and the claw let the teddy go, letting it fall down the chute, awaiting to get picked up by the lucky winner. I went over and pulled out the blue and green teddy bear and it was way softer than I expected. I hugged it close and looked up at castle who had a smug smile gracing his face.

"Thank you Castle," I said.

"No problem mini Beckett. I knew I could do it," he said.

"You're so full of yourself Castle," Aunt Kate said with an amused smile.

"I'm not because it's the truth," Castle said with his own smile.

"Okay Mr. awesome. Let's go home," she said.

We went home and as soon as we got in I put my teddy in my room, sitting it on the shelf that held a few of my other stuffed animals I've gotten through the years. It fit perfectly with all of them and it's a special one because Castle won it for me. I couldn't ask for a better boyfriend for my Aunt Kate.


	34. Chapter 34

AN: Happy Holidays Everyone! I thought I'd update with a holiday chapter. Also check out the one-shot, "Mini Beckett: Small World", if you didn't already, which is about Christmas when Emily was five. Thank you again to everyone for following, favouring, and reviewing this story. Here's the next chapter everybody, enjoy. Don't forget to Review. :)

Disclaimer: I do not own Castle or it's characters.

* * *

Christmas with a Real Family

I was sitting in the precinct, waiting for my aunt to finish her day. It was that time of year again when all schools were closed for the holiday season. It's been snowing a lot lately, and even though the snow can be annoying after a while, it's still a pretty sight to see.

I was slumped in the seat next to my aunt's desk and playing a game that I downloaded on her phone. I was trying to kill this creepy alien looking monster, but every strategic move I made, the alien was one step ahead of me. I caught a glimpse of black dress pants standing in front of me and I looked up to see Castle watching me play the game.

"I love Phantom Aliens: Destroy Everything. It's a really great game. I destroyed that alien boss with the mega ray gun," he said.

I did as he said and after a few blasts from the mega ray gun, I destroyed the alien boss monster.

"Thanks Castle. I've been trying to beat him all day," I said.

"No problem, I had trouble with him myself before I figured out that little trick," he said.

"So what's up?"

"Nothing, I just came to see Kate."

"She's interrogating someone with Esposito right now."

"Okay, I'll wait."

"Hey, Castle what's up?" Ryan said as he came over to the desk.

"Nothing much, just came to see if there was a murder," he said.

"Not right now. We just finished a small case for a local robbery," Ryan said.

"Oh, cool. Looks like it's been a slow holiday season," Castle said.

"Yeah, it is. Usually we're flooded with holiday murders, domestic disputes, and suicide calls, but so far it's been pretty calm," Ryan said.

"I guess that's a good thing. So what are you doing for the holidays, Ryan?" Castle asked.

"Probably just spend some time with Jenny. I don't really know," he said.

"That's cool. I plan to spend Christmas with my family and uphold our family tradition," Castle said with a smile.

"Sounds like fun," Ryan said.

"Yeah," Castle said.

"I'll see you two later, I have to go turn in these files," Ryan said.

"Bye," Castle and I said as he left.

"How about you mini Beckett?" Castle asked.

"I don't know. Aunt Kate doesn't seem to be in the spirit this year," I said.

"Huh, well that's interesting. Maybe we can spend some time together, all of us," Castle said.

"That would be really cool," I said.

"Yeah, it would," Castle said.

"What will be cool?" my aunt asked as she came over.

"That we spend Christmas together," Castle said.

"I'll think about it," Aunt Kate said.

"Aww… but Aunt Kate. It would be fun to spend time with them," I said.

"I said I'll think about it. I might have to work. If I do, maybe you can spend time with Castle and his family," she said.

"Okay," I said.

"You might have to work?" Castle asked.

"Yeah, we always need people to fill in," she said nonchalantly.

"That sucks. I thought we'd be able to spend Christmas together," Castle said.

"Yeah, I know. Remember no presents," she said.

"Right, I know," he said.

"You can get me a gift though," I said, cutting in.

My aunt smacked me lightly on the shoulder and said, "Christmas is not all about gifts."

"Yeah, I know. It's about love and family, and yadda, yadda, yadda…" I said.

"Be good, or you or Santa will be putting you on the naughty list," Castle said.

"Yeah, you're right," I said.

"Castle, there is no…" Aunt Kate started, but castle through a hand over her mouth.

Aunt Kate mumbled something into his hand while giving him a glare. He released her and she said, "What was that Castle?"

"There's no what?" I asked.

"Um…" Kate looked at Castle and he looked at her with raised brow.

"There is no naughty list," she said looking to be in thought.

"There isn't," I said.

"Nope, it's all made up to make kids be nice. But you should still be good because he'll still be determined to give you coal," Castle said.

"Oh, okay," I said.

Aunt Kate gave him a look, and he shrugged his shoulders with a small smile. I wondered what they were secretly talking about through their body gestures. We all went home for the night and I wondered the whole night what my aunt was really going to say.

* * *

The next day came around and I was hanging with my aunt once again at the precinct and we finally got a murder just after ten o'clock at night. She called Castle on our way to the precinct and I couldn't wait to see what was in store for this murder.

When we got there we walked through the park to the crime scene. Castle was complaining about his family skipping out on their family tradition to hang out with on Christmas Eve. He asked if Aunt Kate was going to make it, but she was still not sure if she could. We got to the body and what was in front of my eyes was a dead Santa.

"And now Santa is dead!? When will it end?" Castle said with shock.

"Not Santa. This is horrible," I said.

"I hate to break it to you two, but… He's just Santa's helper," she said, looking over at me with caution on her face.

"We don't know that," he said.

"I have to admit, with that beard and that belly? He looks like the real deal," Lanie said.

"If by the real deal, you mean an overweight man in a red suit, who is hopefully carrying ID?" my aunt said.

"Yeah. Along with lots of candy cane wrappers, though I don't think that ID of his is gonna do you much good," Lanie said, showing us an evidence bag with candy canes and then handing over the victim's wallet.

Aunt Kate opened it up and said, "Kris Kringle. Address, the North Pole"? That's cute."

"Maybe he's the real Santa. Like _Miracle on 34_ _th_ _Street_ ," Castle said.

"Cool," I said.

"Yeah, but with no happy ending. This Santa fell out of the sky around 9:30pm" Lanie said.

"From an aircraft?" Aunt Kate asked.

"Maybe, but it wasn't a commercial plane, I can tell you that. With a fall from high altitude, we'd see severe frostbite on his eyes and his face," Lanie said.

Ryan came over to us with a sigh and said, "Hey, so I just talked with the family. They didn't see or hear any planes overhead."

"That doesn't make any sense. He had to have fallen from somewhere," Aunt Kate said while pointing her flashlight up into the sky.

Castle chuckled and said, "I'm sorry. Are we overlooking the obvious here?"

"He fell from his sleigh," I said.

"Yeah… He hit some turbulence, slipped out of his sleigh and fell to his doom," Castle said.

Aunt Kate rolled her eyes and Ryan said, "Santa, lying there dead. You gotta ask yourself, what kind of world do we live in?"

"A world in which there…" she cleared her throat, stopping her sentence and continued, "People don't fall out of nowhere. Can you check with Air Traffic Control and find out what flights were in the area?"

"Sure. Bah, humbug," Ryan said as he left.

"So was the fall cause of death?" Aunt Kate asked.

"It looks like it, but I won't know for sure until I get him back to the morgue," Lanie said.

"Well, Santa or no, he sure is committed. And you're saying there's nothing in his wallet that indicates a break in character?" Castle asked.

"Nope," Lanie said.

"Except for these boots. They are definitely not from the North Pole. They're custom-made from a leather shop in Queens. Got a pair of motorcycle boots there. Hopefully they'll have a record of who this man is," Aunt Kate said.

* * *

We headed back to the precinct and I couldn't believe Santa was dead. He wasn't the real Santa of course, but still, one of Santa's helpers is just as bad. I wonder how he got into this whole dilemma, but I'm sure we'll figure it out.

Castle was writing on the investigation board and he was smiling as he wrote the name of our victim. Ryan came over to us and said, "Hey, so I just heard from Air Traffic Control, but you're not gonna like the news. They have no record of anyone flying over the park during the time our guy hit the ground."

"How is that even possible?" Aunt Kate asked.

"Santa had his sleigh in stealth mode," Castle said.

"Sounds legit," I said.

"No. I mean, after 9/11, how is it possible that someone can just fly over Manhattan?" she said.

"Sightseeing choppers do it all the time. There was this one time, I took a midnight loop around the Statue of liberty with this Latin…" Castle stopped short.

We all gave him some odd looks and he said, "Publisher."

Captain Gates came up and said, "No. He's right. There's a Manhattan flight corridor which doesn't require you to radio in if you stay under 1,300 feet. My mother-in-law is a licensed pilot, as she keeps reminding me. Part of a larger effort to make me feel inferior."

We all gave each other looks and Captain Gates said with a chuckle, "I'm sorry. Did I just say that out loud?"

"Sounds like she's staying with you, Captain?" Ryan asked.

"One day soon, your in-laws will visit, too. And when they do, think hotel. Oh, Lord, I hate the holidays," she said and walked off.

Castle whispered, "Yet another quality she has in common with the Grinch."

"So, if we don't know where our Santa fell from, do we at least know who he is?" Aunt Kate asked.

Esposito came up and said, "Well, hopefully we will soon."

Aunt Kate's phone started to beep as Esposito continued what he was saying, "Unis rousted the owner of that boot store in Queens. They're getting him to open up the shop and check his invoices."

She checked her phone and said, "Lanie's got something for us. Can you keep us posted on the boots?"

"Yeah," Esposito said.

I followed Aunt Kate and Castle, as we headed off to the morgue. When we got there Lanie said, "Remember how you asked if that fall is what killed him? Well, it wasn't. I pulled this out of his back."

She showed us a bullet and Aunt Kate said, "And that is a .38. Do you still think he fell off his sleigh, Castle?"

"No. Clearly, he was shot out of it. Talk about a war on Christmas," Castle said.

"Or he was just shot in an aircraft and pushed out. So, do we have anything else?" my aunt asked.

"Just this, embedded in his suit. A chip of paint or some kind of enamel. Cherry-red," Lanie said handing over an evidence bag with the red paint chip.

"From a sleigh," Castle and I said together.

Aunt Kate rolled her eyes and Lanie said, "I don't know yet. I'm sending it down to the lab for analysis."

"Probably from a sleigh," Castle said matter-of-factly.

"Are we any closer to figuring out who he is?" Aunt Kate asked.

"We are now," Esposito said as he walked in, he continued and said, "Name's Edmund Smith. Lives in the Bronx. Got his ID from that boot shop."

"I'm sorry, you just came all the way down here to give me this?" Aunt Kate asked.

"Yeah, I mean, you told me to keep you posted. You did say that, right?" Esposito asked.

"You know what? Um… Castle and I are gonna go and check out the place and see what there is to see. And also drop Emily off at home," Aunt Kate said.

I followed Aunt Kate out with Castle behind me and asked, "Why do I have to go home?"

"Because it's already way past your bed time," she said as she continued walking.

I groaned because I wasn't going to be able to see some more of this awesome case.

* * *

I woke up around 11:00am since I got home around two in the morning. I was wondering what was going on during the investigation. I wanted to know who the killer was. Who would kill Santa? Why did they kill Santa? This is definitely a strange case.

I stayed home watching cartoons, but my mind kept wandering to the case. I bet it's getting interesting and I'm missing the whole thing. While I was getting bored, there was a knock on my door and I answered it. Standing there was Castle and Alexis with smiles on their faces.

"Hi, guys. What are you doing here?" I asked.

"We were going to go shopping together and I thought it be fun to invite you," Alexis said.

"Really!? That would be awesome. I'd love to come," I said.

"Great. Get your coat and boots and we'll be on our way, "Castle said.

I grabbed my coat and threw on my boots, so I could hang out with Castle and Alexis. We went to tons of different shops and the mall. It was so much fun hanging out with Castle and Alexis. We even had some hot coco as we hung out at the mall. We bought so much stuff, our arms were practically covered with bags and bags of goodies.

It felt great to be included in their holiday shopping spree and I really felt a part of their family. After we were done with the hours of Christmas shopping, we headed back to Castle's place to drop off the gifts. Castle's place was awesome and really in the Christmas spirit.

"Wow this place is awesome, Castle," I said.

"Thank you mini Beckett," Castle said.

"You're welcome. Your tree is huge," I said.

"15 feet," he said.

"Sweet," I said.

"Yeah, we really go all out on Christmas decorations," Alexis said.

"I can see that. This is definitely the best decorations I've ever seen," I said.

"You haven't seen this much before," Alexis asked.

"Nope. Wow, neat train," I said, looking at the toy locomotive go around a small city.

Castle chuckled and said, "Just don't touch it."

"I won't," I said.

Alexis and Castle started talking about how they're not going to be spending Christmas Eve together and Alexis mentioned she was going out with a boy, Max, she met at an annual bad poetry contest before Thanksgiving. Castle tried to get her to invite him over, but Alexis said it would be too much pressure to let him meet her father on Christmas Eve.

She told him that she wanted to see Max before he left for London with his Family for Christmas. Castle gave in and let her go ice skating with Max.

"Besides, you'll be with Beckett and mini Beckett," Alexis said.

"Right," Castle said, seeming disappointed.

"Oh, and don't worry, I'll be home in bed before Santa comes. Bye Emily," Alexis said.

"Bye Alexis," I said.

She left and Castle looked a little gloomy.

"Don't worry Castle," I said.

"Yeah, I know. I just wish your Aunt Kate didn't have to work," he said.

"She has to work?" I asked, my own disappointment seeping in.

"You didn't know?"

"No."

"Sorry Emily. Well, maybe you and I can hang out together on Christmas eve."

"Sounds good. We'll have fun."

"I bet we will. But in the meantime, why don't we try to bribe Captain Gates to let your aunt off for Christmas."

"I like how you think."

"Well thank you."

* * *

We headed over to the precinct and Castle had a small gift wrapped with a bow for Captain Gates. Captain Gates walked in front of us right when we stepped off the elevator and Castle called for her.

"Yes, what is it?" she asked.

"I just wanted to make sure you got this before you took off for the holidays," he said.

"Oh. Well, thank you, Mr. Castle. Oh, I'm sorry, I don't have anything for you," she said.

"Please, just being here each day is a gift. I just wanted to let you know how much I appreciate all that you do. You, and Detective Beckett," he said.

"Mr. Castle, I am on my way uptown to meet my mother-in-law to have tea and eat those tiny freakin' sandwiches. So why don't you just say what's on your mind?" she said.

"I'm just so worried about Detective Beckett. I mean she works so hard. Don't you think she deserves a little holiday?" Castle said and then grabbed my face and said, "And look at this little face. Do you want her to miss out on Christmas with her aunt? Isn't there someone else who could take that Christmas Eve shift?"

"First of all, how I schedule my people is not you concern. And having said that, Detective Beckett volunteered to take that shift," Captain Gates said.

"She did?" I asked glumly.

"When did she do that?" Castle asked.

"Earlier today, she came to me and asked to take Detective Eldin's shift. He has a family," she said.

"But Emily," Castle said.

"I know, but I guess Kate felt it was more important for him," she said.

"Okay, then. Problem solved," Castle said and she left.

"I can't believe Aunt Kate would do that," I said.

"Emily, don't be sad. Maybe she has a reason," he said.

"Or maybe she doesn't want to spend the holidays with me anymore."

"I don't think it's you."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm positive. She loves you."

"I hope so."

We went further into the precinct and watched as Aunt Kate and Ryan were trying to figure out where the victim was on a big map where they marked down the where the helicopter could have gone.

"Hey, Castle, Em. You coming, Castle?" she asked.

"Yeah, sure," he said.

"See you soon Emily," she said.

"Okay," I said.

I was hurt that my Aunt Kate took the Christmas Eve shift. Why would she do that? We had such a nice one last year. Was she mad at me for something? I don't remember doing anything really bad, I just got out of the hospital. Was she just hanging out with me because of what happened? I pulled out my locket which I kept inside my shirt and opened it up.

We were smiling in the picture from the photo booth and we looked extremely happy as we hugged and looked at the camera. I wasn't even concerned about the case anymore, I was only worried about why Aunt Kate took the shift. I really do hope it's something completely different then not wanting to hang out with me.

* * *

They came back about an hour later and started talking about an expensive clock that the fake Santa stole from a company that hired him for their party. Aunt Kate and Castle were trying to figure out why he stole the clock. Castle gave one of his out of the box theories and it was actually quite funny. Aunt Kate went back on topic, pushing Castle's crazy theory aside.

Esposito came bye and started telling them about what he found out about the Santa. Turns out, the guy never worked at the party before, but he was determined to work it this year. We went into the break room after they talked and Castle started making Aunt Kate some coffee.

Aunt Kate was sitting on the table, flipping through the case file, still trying to figure out what was going on. I sat next to her on the table, still mulling over in my head why she didn't want to celebrate Christmas with us, especially me. When she was done she put the folder behind us and said, "It makes no sense. Given everything that we know about this guy, this is completely out of character."

"Well, sometimes people do inexplicable things," Castle said as he gave her the coffee he made which had a cool design in it.

Aunt Kate smiled at it and said, "There's an explanation for everything."

"Is there? You volunteered to take Eldin's shift. Don't pretend. If you aren't ready, why not just tell me?" he said.

"Why don't you want to spend it with me?" I asked.

"I'm sorry, Castle. You too Em. I didn't mean to…" she said drifting off.

"Didn't mean to what?" he asked.

"Christmas means something different to me than it does to you," she said.

"It's Christmas. I mean, how can it be different?" he asked.

She sighed and said, "Castle, every winter, as soon as that chill rolls in, I'm right back there that alley. January 9th, and we still hadn't taken our Christmas decorations down. And by the time my dad and I did, it was like we were putting Christmas away forever. We haven't opened those boxes since."

"I didn't know," he said.

"That's why every year my dad goes up to his cabin. And ever since I became a rookie, I have taken the Christmas shift. Because I know that there are families out there that are celebrating together in their homes and I am keeping watch, and that is my tradition. And that is important to me. It's as important as your tradition is to you. And I'm sorry Castle… and Emily. I thought I could let that go, but I..." she said, shaking her head.

"I understand," Castle said with compassion.

"How comes we celebrated last year?" I asked, feeling bad for my aunt.

She looked over at me and said, "I wanted to do something special for you, Em. It was a hard year, and you were just coming home from the hospital. You needed it and I wasn't going to let my personal stuff get in the way of your holiday joy."

"Thanks," I said.

"You're welcome," she said and placed a kiss on my temple.

She smiled at Castle and then her phone started to ring.

"Beckett," she said, putting it on speaker.

Ryan's voice chimed through the phone and said, "Yeah, so I got a custodian who was up on the roof last night for a smoke."

"Did he see anything?" Aunt Kate asked.

"It's not what he saw. It' what he found. The place was cleaned earlier in the day, but when he got up there, there was trash blown all over the helipad. Probably from the rotor wash when it took off," he said.

"What kind of trash?" she asked.

"The kind that looked like someone had been waiting for someone. A soda can, candy wrappers and an empty pouch of pipe tobacco," he said.

"Pipe tobacco," Aunt Kate said with realization.

"Now, who do I know that smokes a pipe and flies?" Castle said.

* * *

We waited for Ryan and Esposito to bring in our potential suspect and I sat in the chair next to my aunt's chair, like always. I was happy we were able to find out why Aunt Kate wasn't in the holiday spirit and relieved it had nothing to do with me.

Later on Esposito and Ryan brought in a Santa that was our potential suspect. He was kind of a creepy looking Santa clause and I hoped the real one didn't look anything like him. Castle and Aunt Kate went in the interrogation room to interrogate him.

They came back a little while later explaining the case and apparently the guy wasn't our killer. There was someone else on that roof shooting at the both of them. Ryan and Esposito came up to the desk and were explaining how they were going through the security footage and how they saw the neighbor kid, Tim Cabot, on the elevator at the place, following Edmund, our dead Santa.

Captain Gates came bye and said she got something from the class action suit against SunCove Funding. Her contact at SEC dug some things up and it turns out our dead Santa was the person who tricked people out of their homes. Turns out the Cabot kid's father died in a car crash after he fell asleep behind the wheel working three jobs to pay the inflated mortgage, on Christmas Eve five years ago.

Castle and Aunt Kate went to Cabot's apartment to talk to him about what happened. I stayed at the precinct trying to keep myself occupied. When they came back it turned out Tim didn't commit the murder and they went back to Case Commerce to find out if someone worked there who used to be a part of SunCove with Edmund.

Turns out it wasn't the man from Case Commerce, it was Edmund's wife. They brought her in for questioning and it turns out she was the killer. All because she was afraid that she was going to lose all the money he left her, after he up and left, so he could put the past behind him.

As we were leaving the precinct Castle was reminiscing about his past and the Christmases he spent with his mom. It wasn't much, but he loved how his mother could make a little something out of the little money they had because she was a single mother and an up and coming actress. While they were standing at the elevator, I couldn't help but notice they were standing under the mistletoe.

Castle and Aunt Kate noticed too after they finished they're conversation, but they couldn't kiss because they couldn't let the precinct find out about their secret romance. They kind of just stared awkwardly and wished each other a Merry Christmas.

She cleared her throat and said, "Have fun with Castle."

"I will. I love you, Aunt Kate," I said.

"I love you too, Em," she said.

I hopped on the elevator with Castle and we headed to his place to spend Christmas Eve together.

* * *

Turns out when we got to Castle's place, Mrs. Rodgers and Alexis were there with food filling their dining table. It smelled yummy in there, and it really felt like the holidays were truly here. I just wish Aunt Kate was here to celebrate too.

We all sat around the table, getting ready to eat some of the food. Everything looked delicious and I couldn't wait to dig in. Alexis and Mrs. Rodgers said how they decided to cancel their plans to spend time with Castle and adhere to their family tradition.

Castle decided that he was wrong about tonight and that there was somewhere else he needed to be. I smiled at that. He really did love Aunt Kate, enough to break his family tradition. He opened the door to leave and standing there was Aunt Kate. They started babbling at the door and his mother said, "Oh, for God sakes, Richard. Invite the poor girl in."

I ran to Aunt Kate and gave her a big hug when she came in.

"Hi, Em," she said.

"I'm glad you could make it," I said.

"Me too."

They walked in all the way and stood at the tree together. I took a seat back at the table, watching them with pure joy.

"It's beautiful," Aunt Kate said looking at the tree and decorations.

They kissed and it was so sweet, yet still pretty gross, but that's what adults do. It was great to have a special holiday with all of my favorite people. We all sat around the table and started eating the scrumptious dinner they made. As we all ate and chatted amongst each other with happiness gracing all of our faces, I couldn't help but take it all in with gratitude.

Santa is definitely real because he gave me the wish I always wanted, Christmas with a real family. And I couldn't ask for any other family to be placed with. This is definitely a start towards a _Wonderful Life_.

The strangest thing happened after I finished my thoughts, a bell started ringing, and everyone looked around with questionable faces.

"I think an angel just got its wings," I said.

They all smiled at me and I wondered if my grandmother was the lucky one, or even my mother.


	35. Chapter 35

AN: Hope everyone had a good weekend. Thank you again to everyone for following, favouring, and reviewing this story. Here's the next chapter everybody, enjoy. Don't forget to Review. :)

Disclaimer: I do not own Castle or it's characters.

* * *

The Unthinkable

We had to go to the museum for an assignment in school. We had to pick out one piece that seemed like something we'd like to write about. We also had to do it in partners and I decide to pick Mike as my partner. His brother, Leon, offered to tag along with us on this lovely Saturday afternoon. We were looking around the big museum and it had so many wonderful pieces to choose from.

Mike and I both took a lot of notes on certain art works, so later we can go through them and pick the piece we'd like to do our paper on. Leon kept making us laugh as we hung out at the museum. A few people gave us some looks when we got a little two rowdy and we quickly stopped our banter and talked quietly amongst ourselves.

Everything felt peaceful and nice, and I loved spending time with my friends. I couldn't ask for anything better than that. While we were looking at a painting from a modern artist, we heard a commotion coming from the front of the museum. When we tried to see what was going on, four men wearing all black, stormed the museum and pointed large guns at everyone.

Everyone started panicking and didn't know what to do, it looked like a mad house. Some people ran to the nearest exits, while others were frozen in fear. One of the gunman stuck his gun in the air and fired a couple of shots. Everyone who was still in the museum stopped dead in their tracks. The one who fired his gun said, "I want everyone to line up on this back wall, now!"

Everyone scrambled to the place he told us to stand. Leon stood to my left and Mike stood to my right. I couldn't tell if they were frightened, but I doubt if they weren't. Even though I've been through a lot of crazy scenarios in the past two years, it's still a frightening ordeal. There was about ten people left in this whole place; three were employees, one was a young security guard, and the rest were just visitors. The leader made sure to take the gun from the security guard and stuck it in his jacket pocket.

While two of the robbers watched us closely, the other two secured all the doors, making sure no one was coming in or out. They also sprayed the security cameras with black spray paint and they took a look around the place.

"Get all the paintings we discussed earlier. Do it as quick as possible!" The leader said.

The two henchmen went about their business, trying to collect all the paintings that were probably worth millions of dollars. The leader and his other henchman were still watching us with cold eyes, making sure no one tried anything. I was wondering if the cops were already alerted and on their way. I hope aunt Kate isn't too worried about me, I'm sure we'll all be fine as long as no one does anything stupid.

"Nobody move. We don't need someone trying to be a hero. Just stay calm and no one will get hurt," the leader said.

I could feel how tense it was in the room, and I didn't like it at all. I saw the security guard fidgeting with his fingers and I knew he wanted to do something. I just hope he has enough common sense to not react on his feelings. Two minutes later, the security guard decided to act on what he was thinking in his head. I was really hoping he didn't, but now we can all be in danger because of him.

While the robbers were distracted, trying to load their new prized possessions on a dolly. The security guard started maneuvering around the leader and when the robbers were discussing something, the security guard tried to jump him. He tried to get the leader in a choke hold, but one of the other robbers pulled him off easily, and the leader took his gun, shooting the poor security guy in the leg.

The security guard screamed in pain as the blood seeped out of his new wound.

"I told everyone not to be a hero. You had to go and disobey me. I didn't want to have blood on my hands," the man said.

"We have to help him," a lady whimpered.

"You got to do something," a man spoke up.

The leader sighed and said, "Fine tend to him, but I'm not letting anyone leave. Not yet."

The lady who said we have to help him, dropped to her knees, and tried to keep the security guard calm.

"What do we do?" the lady asked looking up at everyone.

"I don't know. I'm not a doctor," the one man said.

"We should keep pressure on it," one of the employees said.

"With what?" the lady asked.

"Use her scarf," I spoke up, pointing to another woman's scarf.

"No way, I just bought this scarf. It was two hundred dollars," she said.

"Come on Betsy. I'll buy you a new one. The man's life is at stake," a man, whom I'm assuming was her husband, said next to her.

Betsy rolled her eyes and said, "Fine Bill. I'll give it up."

She took it off and handed it to the lady who was attending to the doctor. The lady wrapped the scarf around the man's leg as tight as she could and kept her hands pressed firmly to the wound.

"I think it's going to work," the lady said.

"Good," the other man said.

"Well isn't that sweet. All of you working together to save that dumbasses life. He wouldn't need saving if he didn't try something so stupid," the leader said.

"Boss… we got a situation," one of his henchman said.

"What is it?" the leader asked.

"Cops are here. Looks like they've come full force," the henchman said.

"Damnit! I thought you were on top of things," the leader reprimanded the guy.

"Sorry dude, but I can't help if some of the people slipped out when we stormed this place. I tried to keep it on the down low and stuff," the henchman tried to explain.

"Whatever, if they start trying to negotiate, let them talk to me? Got it?" he asked.

"Yeah, boss. I got it," the henchman said.

"All right boys. You know the drill. You two need to load up the van in the back and take it back to the warehouse. Do not get caught. At least if they see you leave, half of the police will be tailing you and we'll have less to deal with here," the leader said.'

The two guys nodded and started wheeling the dolly away, probably to where they had the van. Once they were out of sight the leader looked at all of us and shook his head with a sneer on his face. I bet his plan wasn't falling through the way he wanted it to, and he was highly upset. He walked over to his other henchman and started to talk lowly to him.

"Emmy, do you think we'll make it out alive?" Leon whispered to me.

"I'm sure we will. We just have to stay calm and hope they don't plan on getting rid of all the witnesses," I said.

"How are you able to be so calm?" Mike asked.

"I've been through a lot. It's a little easier, but it's still scary," I said.

"I understand," Mike said.

"Do you think your aunt is out there?" Leon asked.

"I think so. It's pretty possible that she is, along with the rest of the precinct," I said.

"True," he said.

"Your aunts a cop?" I heard the man next to Leon ask.

"Actually a detective," I said.

"A detective!? That's great," the man said, hope emitting in his eyes.

Everyone stopped and looked at me because of the man's sudden outburst. Even the robbers looked over at me and I could feel something was going to happen. The leader started walking over to the man and said, "What's this commotion all about?"

"Nothing," the man mumbled.

"I don't take to kindly to liars. Now what's this thing about a detective?" the leader asked.

"Her aunt is a detective. That's what I heard," the man said.

The leader looked down at me, his blue eyes piercing through my brown ones.

"Is this true?" the man asked.

"Yes," I said.

"Uh-huh…" he nodded and then continued, "You're coming with me."

"She's just a kid," one of the employees spoke up.

The leader took out the security guards hand gun and waved it at the protesting hostages.

"You don't get a say in what I do. Now come with me kid," he said.

He grabbed my arm and pulled me along with him. We went to the front window of the museum and there was chaos going on outside. There were blinking lights from ambulances, firetrucks and police vehicles. There was over two dozen different emergency personnel outside, trying to communicate between each other. The guy placed the gun to my head and whispered in my ear, "Don't pull anything funny."

"Why are you doing this?" I asked.

"I need to start the negotiation somehow and if your aunt is a detective, it'll be easier to get their attention with you in danger," he said.

"Okay," I said.

I looked through the crowd of people and emergency crews, trying to spot my aunt and Castle. I finally spotted her standing with Castle, Ryan, Esposito, and a man I didn't know. I figured he was the head of the FBI or SWAT team. They eventually looked up when people started murmuring that there was someone at the window.

I caught my aunt's eyes and she looked extremely worried. Castle looked worried too and I knew they were probably comforting each other through this intense experience. A museum phone started ringing and the leader walked us over to the phone behind the employees' desk. He picked up the phone and said, "Yes…"

I couldn't here who was on the other line or what they were saying, but a small smirk played on the leaders lips the whole time. They spoke for a while, coming up with a plan to let everyone go safely, but no cops could follow him and his man. The leader asked for a car to take with him and it seemed like they complied with his request. Once he ended his negotiation he handed me the phone and I said, "Hello…"

"Em, are you okay?" aunt Kate asked me.

"Aunt Kate!? I'm fine," I said.

"Thank god. You hang in there okay. We'll figure something out."

"I know you will."

The man pulled the phone from me and hung up on my aunt. I gave him a dirty look and he said, "Don't look at me like that. You're lucky I even let you talk to her. Now come on."

He pulled me back to where everyone else was still against the wall, being watched by the henchman.

"Okay, everyone start lining up. I'm letting you all out of here, but if you make one wrong move, you're done," he said.

Everyone started murmuring and getting excited that they could get out of this awful experience.

"You two, grab the security guard and take him out first," the leader said as he pointed to Bill and the man who spilled my secret.

The men didn't have to be told twice and they grabbed the security guard, picking him up slowly from both ends. They carefully walked him to the entrance of the museum and the leader said, "You, the one who was helping the security guard. Go open the door and help them out. Make sure you close the door promptly after you leave. J, I want you to lock the door once they're out."

"Got it boss," the henchman now known as, J, said.

J followed the people to the door and locked it behind them.

"What about the rest of us?" Betsy asked.

"Don't worry you'll be next once things settle down a bit," the leader said.

We waited a few minutes before he started sending people out in pairs. We were down to the last three people; Leon, an employee, and I. So far, things were going smoothly and hopefully this will all be over soon.

"Okay you two. Leave the building," the leader said, pointing to Leon and the employee.

"What about Emily?" Leon asked.

"Don't worry she'll be accompanying my friend and I," The leader said.

"You can't do that," Leon said.

"Believe me kid, I can do whatever the hell I want. Now leave before I change my mind."

"Go, I'll be fine," I said to Leon.

Leon nodded and followed the employee out to the front. I was left alone in the locked museum with the two robbers. I wondered how I was going to play a part of their escape plan. I just hope I don't get caught in the middle if guns go a blazing.

"Okay, J. We have a getaway car in the back. Everyone will think we'll take the car I asked for in the side alley, when all along I already had my plan B parked in the back. This kid will be our shield. They won't risk getting her caught in the middle," the leader said with a mischievous grin.

He pulled me along to the back of the museum and J followed behind us. When we got to the back, there wasn't a soul in sight. It was still a little nippy outside and I could see my breath float in the cold evening air. There was a red sports car parked in a space and the leader pushed me in while the henchman got in the back.

The leader took up the driver's seat and once he got the car started, he peeled out of the space, making the tires squeal on the asphalt. We drove through the streets at a high rate of speed and I was hoping we didn't crash. I think the police finally figured it out and now there was a few squad cars tailing us.

We were weaving in and out of traffic and I was scared out of my mind. This was definitely a death defying act that I'd rather not be tagging along for. The squad cars kept echoing through the car to pull the vehicle over. The leader wasn't listening though, he kept driving, trying to escape the cops.

"You have to slow down," I said.

"Shut up. I ain't slowing down. I'm gonna lose these cops then drop you off in the middle of nowhere," he said.

"You're going to get us all killed."

"I'm not and even if I do, it's better than being locked up in some jail cell. Just shut your mouth and let me focus!"

I went quiet and continued to watch the buildings go bye in a blur. I sat back in the seat, holding on for dear life. Out of everything I've been through, I think this is very close to my top scary moments aside from when I was buried alive. It's like I'm practically watching my life fly bye.

When I thought we'd be out of the clear, a truck pulled out in front of us, making the leader take a sharp turn barely missing the large truck. We skidded across the asphalt and the vehicle flipped over twice before coming to a stop on its hood in front of a fountain by a small park. Steam was coming from the hood and glass was everywhere.

Sometime through that accident, the air bags deployed and were slowly deflating a bit. I could barely keep my eyes open as I looked around the massive wreck. I looked over to the driver's side and the leader wasn't there, I wondered if he bolted once it crashed, but I saw some boots laying just a few inches out of the window. Apparently he didn't put on his seat belt, so he flew through the windshield of the car.

It didn't look like he was moving, so either he was unconscious or worse, dead. I looked behind me and saw an unconscious J, hanging upside down in the back seat. He didn't look to bad, but he probably had a nasty blow to the head. I felt my head kind of sticky and wet, so I touched the place on my forehead and felt the warm liquid. I took it away and saw some of the crimson blood staining my fingers. I noticed my hands also had some minor cuts on them, probably from the broken glass. The blood started dripping down my face and onto the ceiling of the car, making a small puddle.

I tried to unbuckle my seat belt, but it was jammed. I was stuck in here and I hoped the gas wasn't leaking because I really didn't want this thing to blow while I was still trapped inside. I heard sirens in the distance and I knew help was on the way. I waited patiently for the emergency crew to come and help while I watched my blood slowly drip to the puddle below.

I heard the emergency vehicles pull up and I was thankful that they got here so quickly. I was hoping they could cut me out soon because I was feeling light headed from being upside down.

"Em!? Em!?" I heard my aunt's voice call out.

"Aunt Kate," I yelled out.

My aunt's face popped in my window and I saw her looking at me with concern, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, at least from what I can tell."

"That's good. I'm going to cut you free, okay?"

"Okay."

"Ryan I need the knife."

"Okay Beckett," I heard Ryan's voice say.

A few seconds later my aunt was handed a knife and she cut me from my seat belt. I braced myself for the fall and it was just a short drop. My aunt helped me out and I was back on solid ground. I looked around and the sight looked even more frightening from the outside than the inside.

"Mini Beckett, you're okay," Castle said as he came up to us.

I nodded and said, "Yeah, I'm okay."

"Come on we need to get you checked out. Make sure you didn't suffer a concussion or something worse," my aunt said.

Ryan and Esposito smiled at me as I went bye them to get loaded onto the stretcher and taken to the hospital. I pretty much knew the drill by now. Aunt Kate and Castle tagged along for the ride and since I was conscious, I tried to keep the spirits up for everyone. I wasn't worried at all, this hasn't been as far worse as a few of my other incidences, even though it was still kind of rough.

We were still at the hospital after a few hours, and I had so many different tests done to make sure I was okay. I had a cat-scan, X-rays, and a simple exam to make sure all my motor skills were okay. After those long hours of testing were finally done, they sent me home, but they said it would be best to make sure I didn't fall asleep for twenty-four hours and to keep an eye on me just in case they overlooked something.

* * *

Castle accompanied my aunt and I home and they were both still pretty shaken after the whole incident. Once we got home I sat on the couch and they sat on either side of me, making me feel comforted by their presence.

"Is Mike and Leon okay?" I asked.

"Yeah they're fine. Their parents were there and took them home after we got a statement from them. They were really worried about you," Aunt Kate said.

"Yeah, I could see it on their faces. I didn't want them to be a part of this, so I was okay with being the main hostage."

"Well I'm glad you're okay mini Beckett. That was some crash," Castle said.

"Yeah it was. I'm just glad they didn't get away," I sad.

"Yeah, me too. We caught the other two robbers on the freeway when we were still negotiating with the other two," my aunt said.

"That's good," I said.

"Yep," she said.

"How comes you two still look so sad?" I asked.

"Em, this has been almost a monthly thing. You've been in so many situations in the past two years. I'm really worried about you," Aunt Kate said.

"I know, but I can't help it. I'm always at the wrong place at the wrong time. You two have been through a lot too," I said.

"Yeah, but your only ten. You're still in your development stages. I don't want to lose you yet," she said.

"I understand."

"And mini Beckett, we both have a hard time watching these things unfold. Each time it feels like your slipping farther and farther away. One time might be the time that things don't work out. We don't want that," Castle said.

"I guess you guys are right, but I can't just stop living. Afraid of what's lurking around every corner," I said.

"I know Em. We wouldn't want you to live the rest of your life in fear, we just want you to be safe. We know it's asking a lot and we can't control it, but maybe we should all spend more time together," Aunt Kate said.

"Yeah, more family time. Life's to short, and we don't want to miss out on those moments before it's too late," Castle added in.

"I want that too. You never know when it could be gone in an instant," I said.

"Yep. So from here on out, we are going to be spending a lot more quality time together because family is important," aunt Kate said.

"Definitely," Castle said.

"Okay, I'm down for that. I love you guys so much," I said.

"We love you too, Em," they said together.

I gave them each a large hug and they returned it with bright smiles adorning their faces. We decided to go out for dinner with Alexis and Mrs. Rodgers and from here on out, we're going to make sure to spend at least one day together because life is a precious thing.


	36. Chapter 36

AN: Thank you again to everyone for following, favouring, and reviewing this story. Here's the next chapter everybody, enjoy. Don't forget to Review. :)

Disclaimer: I do not own Castle or it's characters.

* * *

Childhood Fears

Today was a Teacher Planning Day, so we had off. I was at the precinct with my aunt Kate, watching her work diligently at her desk. She was sorting through a large pile of files and paperwork that built up through the past week. I saw Castle strolling up towards the desk with two coffees in his hand and I smiled up at him. He gave me a small grin and then proceeded to hand a cup to Aunt Kate. She stopped what she was doing to take the coffee from Castle and gave him a small smile in gratitude.

"So, did we get anything yet?" Castle asked.

"Nope, nothing at all. Seems like a slow day today," Aunt Kate said.

"Man, we haven't had a good case in weeks. This is a real bummer, plus I have a major writers block," he said.

"Well maybe if you weren't here every day trying to stall, you'd be able to figure something out."

"First of all, I am not stalling. Second of all, I need some kind of form of inspiration."

"Sure Castle, whatever you say. Just try not to go get into any trouble."

"Me, get into trouble!? I would never."

We both gave him a look and he said, "You two have no faith in me."

"We have faith in you," I said.

"Sometimes too much faith," my aunt snickered.

Castle gave a soft glare and said, "Well, I'll figure something out. Maybe we'll get something big that will help me out."

"Well, I'm sure we will. Especially since things have been relevantly quiet," she said.

Esposito came up to us and said, "Hey guys, we have a murder over at the Sandstorm apartment complex. Landlord called it in."

"Yes. Inspiration here I come," Castle said with a smile.

We got to the Sandstorm apartment complex, which was actually really ritzy and elegant. It felt like I was walking into a five star hotel. We went to the apartment number the victim was in and he was already loaded up on a stretcher in a black body bag. The top of the body bag was still zipped open and showed a very pale, bloated male, who looked to be in his mid-forties. His name was Charlie Daniels and apparently he was some kind of executive at a private company.

"Hey, what happened here?" Aunt Kate asked.

"Well as far as I can tell, Mr. Daniels here, drowned in the bath tub," Lanie said.

"He drowned in his own bath tub?" Castle said looking baffled.

"He was probably drunk," Aunt Kate said.

"Well, so much for inspiration," Castle said with a sigh.

"Any sign of foul play?" Aunt Kate asked.

"As far as I can tell, no. I'll know more once I get him back to the morgue. My opinion though, he probably fell asleep or committed suicide," Lanie said.

"Yeah, seems likely," my aunt said as she looked at the vic.

"What would drive him to commit suicide? Seems like he had an awesome life," Castle said looking around.

"Who knows what drives them to do what they do. There must be a reason," she said.

"That's true," Castle nodded.

After Lanie left with the body, we stayed around and Aunt Kate was looking over the crime scene. Ryan came over to us and said, "Hey guys, I talked to the landlord. He found the body when he came to check on Mr. Daniels. Said he never pays his rent late and usually sees him once a day. When he didn't see him for a few days or get the rent, he was worried. He came to check on him and found him under water in the bath tub."

"Wow," Castle said.

"Did he see anyone up here recently?" Aunt Kate asked.

"No, he said Mr. Daniels liked to stay private. Very rare when he'd bring anyone around. He also said that Mr. Daniels been single for a while now," Ryan said with a shrug.

"Lonely and secluded man. Probably going through a midlife crisis. Guess it could be a suicide," Castle said.

"Seems that way, but until we can prove it for sure, we have to leave all the possibilities open," she said.

"Very true," Castle said.

* * *

We were back at the precinct and we called Mr. Daniels next of kin, who turned out to be a younger brother. He came in about an hour after they reached him and he couldn't believe that his older brother was gone. I could see the guilt and sadness playing in his light blue eyes as Aunt Kate and Ryan broke the news to him.

"I can't believe Charlie's really dead. We had so much fun together when we were younger," his brother, Kraig, said.

"I'm sorry Mr. Daniels," my aunt said.

"Do you know how he died?" Kraig asked.

"He drowned in his bath tub," Ryan said.

"What!?" Kraig said with shock.

"We understand this is difficult, but we think he might have committed suicide," my aunt said.

"It is, but Charlie hates taking baths. He's been showering since I can remember. He was afraid of any type bodied water, including bathtubs. That was his biggest fear, drowning," Kraig said.

"Are you sure?" Aunt Kate asked.

"I'm positive. It's been like this since we were children. He never liked swimming or taking baths because he was so terrified of accidentally drowning. As far as I know, he's never gotten out of this fear," Kraig said.

"Thank you Mr. Daniels. We'll look into this further," my aunt said.

"Thank you. Does this mean somebody tried to kill my brother?" Kraig asked.

"We're not sure, but right now, it's pretty likely," Ryan said.

"Do you know of anyone who might have wanted to hurt your brother?" my aunt asked.

"No, he was the best. You'd think he'd be a stuck up rich guy, but he wasn't. He loved giving to charity and spending time at the local homeless shelter. He liked to stay private and keep to himself, but he always had a big heart for those in need," Kraig said.

"Thanks, we'll let you know if we found anything or need more information," my aunt said.

"Okay," Kraig said as he walked off with his head low.

"Well this just took an interesting turn. A man afraid of water, including baths, drowns in his bathtub. That's not suspicious at all," Castle said.

"Yeah, this is definitely strange," my aunt said.

My aunt's phone buzzed and she looked at the message.

"Lanie has something," she said.

We went down to the morgue and found Lanie looking over Charlie Daniels body.

"What did you find Lanie?" Aunt Kate asked.

"I was looking around his body for any slight abnormality, but I didn't find anything until I came across this little mark on his right arm," she said as she showed us the tiny needle mark.

"So he was drugged?" Castle said.

"Not quite. The results came back and showed signs of a new drug that creates a short paralysis that lasts at least thirty minutes after injecting," Lanie said.

"This seems like signs of foul play," Aunt Kate said.

"Definitely. Mr., Daniel's was still under the effects of the drug when he died," Lanie said.

"This case definitely took a wild turn," Castle said.

"Yeah, it did," I agreed.

"Looks like we'll have to figure out where this drug is distributed," Aunt Kate said.

"Good, luck with that. This drugs been band in almost every state, it's impossible to get your hands on," Lanie said.

"I'm down for some digging," my aunt said with a small smirk.

Ryan and Esposito came into the morgue and Esposito said, "We have another murder."

* * *

We were at an old run down paper mill and there was a large bin that held our new victim. She was already moved and in a body bag like Mr. Daniels because animal control had to remove two dozen poisonous snakes before they could get the body.

"This is freaky," Castle said as he looked at a clear been filled with a few snakes.

"Tell me about it," my aunt said.

"I hate snakes," I said.

"Yeah, I'm not a fan either," Castle said.

Lanie was checking the body and she said, "Looks like it's our same killer. I found the needle mark. If I run the tests, I'm sure I'll find the same drug I found in Mr. Daniels."

"Great, looks like we have a serial killer on our hands," aunt Kate said.

"I bet her greatest fear was snakes," Castle said.

"Seems that way," my aunt said.

"How does he know all their fears?" I asked curiously.

"Honestly I don't know, but there has to be some kind of connection," my aunt said.

"True, maybe the killer knew them since childhood and decided to take some kind of revenge by playing on their fears," Castle inquisited.

"Good theory, but right now, we don't know if the two victims are connected in any way," she said.

"True," he said.

"Well, I'm going to get her back to the morgue and see if I can find anything else," Lanie said.

"Okay, let us know," my aunt said.

"I will," Lanie said and left.

"Okay, so two victims. Both died from their greatest fear. Somethings weird about this," my aunt said.

"It really is," Castle said.

* * *

We were back at the precinct and they were trying to find some kind of connection between the two victims. So far it turned out to be a bust. Both victims came from two different worlds, they grew up in different states, they went to different schools, they had different jobs, and they hung out with different people. It seems like our two victims didn't even cross paths once. We even got information on our newest victim, Molly Shuster, from her parents who came in.

They informed us that Molly indeed had a fear of snakes since she was a little girl. Looks like whoever this killer is, likes playing on peoples childhood fears, but what's the motive. Who would want to bring people's greatest fears to life?

"I don't get this. This is definitely one of the strangest cases I've worked on so far," my aunt said.

"It really is. I'm trying to think of some kind of theory, but I've got nothing. Maybe it's some kind of Freddy Krueger or something," Castle said.

"That's scary," I said.

"It's not Freddy Krueger. It's just some psychotic criminal who gets a kick out of playing with people's fears," my aunt said.

"Yeah, but it would be pretty cool," Castle said with a small smile.

"Anyway, we have no connection or anything that could bring us closer to a potential suspect," my aunt said with frustration.

"We'll figure something out, Kate. We always do," Castle said.

"Yeah I know. I just have a feeling there are a lot more victims out there and he's going to strike again," aunt Kate said.

"I hate to be a downer, but there has been another murder," Ryan said.

"Another one!?" Castle said with shock.

"This killer, doesn't waste time," Ryan said.

"Which is not good," my aunt said.

* * *

The next couple of days went by fast and they still weren't anywhere close to finding the killer. Two more murders have happened since the three the other day. So far we had the drowning, the snake bites, a killer clown, scorpions, and a fire. This was not looking good and all of New York was on high alert. The precinct was trying to keep it under wraps for as longs as possible, but as more and more kept dying, it was harder to keep under control. They told everyone not to panic and that they were working hard to catch this killer, but I don't think anyone believes it.

I've been staying at Castle's place with Mrs. Rodgers and Alexis. Alexis didn't want to stay in her dorm room because she didn't trust this killer either. I think everyone was on edge because no one knew what his motive was and where he'd strike next.

I was sitting at the dinner table with Castle, Alexis, and Mrs. Rodgers, while Aunt Kate was still working the case.

"Dad, are they any closer to finding him?" Alexis asked.

"I don't think so. They're pretty much still at square one. They've found a few dealers of the drug, but they haven't found anything or anybody to connect to the murders," Castle said.

"This is really big," Alexis said.

"I agree. I think this is one of the biggest things to happen lately," Mrs. Rodger said.

"Yeah, I just wish we could find something," Castle said.

"I'm sure they will, Richard. We just have to give them time," she said.

"Yeah," Castle said.

* * *

The next day came along and it was a school day today. The whole talk of the school was about the mysterious murders rocking the city. Some kids were taking it as a joke and making fun of their fears, while others were taking it really seriously and were really scared. I didn't know what I was, of course I was scared, but at the same time I knew Aunt Kate and the precinct had things under control.

I was walking to Castle's place, trying to think of my own reasoning for the murders. Maybe I could help somewhat. So, why did the killer use people's childhood fears? Why go around killing random strangers with their childhood fears? How did he get ahold of these peoples childhood fears?

Wait a minute… Who would people share their deepest darkest fears and secrets with? A therapist. It all makes sense, well somewhat. Was this person the shrink or was this person a patient of a shrink. If he was a patient though, how did he get his hands on the files of all those people? I think I can be on to something, but I should tell Castle and Aunt Kate.

I continued on my way home from school and saw a man around Castle's age leaning against a brick wall. He looked sad and I wondered what was wrong with him. I continued walking though because I've been kidnapped, a lot, and I really didn't need to chat up random strangers. Especially since that childhood fear killer is still out there. As I walked I couldn't help but feel like I was being followed. I turned around at one of the streets I was stopped at, waiting to cross the street, and I caught a glimpse of the sad guy.

I was going with my gut and saying he was definitely a threat. Was he the killer or was he just a very scary guy? I didn't know, and I didn't want to find out, so when the walk sign flashed, I walked as quickly as possible to get to Castle's place. I felt the creepy guy's speed picking up and next thing you know I feel a sharp prick in my lower back. There was a searing pain running through my body and it felt like my limbs were going numb. I could barely feel the man carrying me to the alleyway we were next to.

I tried to speak, but nothing came out. I was trapped and all I could do was watch everything that happened next in agonizing silence.

* * *

3rd Person POV

"Dad, is Emily here?" Alexis asked her father as she came into the precinct.

"No, why? She said she was going back to my place after school," Castle said.

"That's what I thought. When I got home after class, she wasn't there. Grams didn't see her come back either."

"Don't panic. I'm sure she's fine. I'm going to tell Kate."

"Okay," she said.

They went over to where Kate was talking with Ryan and Esposito at the investigation board. They were still trying to figure out the connections and story of the horrendous killings.

"Beckett," Castle said as they went up to them.

"Yeah, Castle. Oh, hi Alexis," Kate said.

"Emily didn't come back to my place," Castle said.

"What?" she said with worry.

"I'm sorry Beckett, but when I got there she wasn't there," Alexis chimed in.

"It's okay, Alexis. I'm going to try the school and her friends' homes," Kate said.

"Okay, I'll call my mom and see if she's made it to my place," Castle said.

Castle and Beckett were both on the phone, trying to find Emily's whereabouts. After trying everyplace they could think of, there was no sign of Emily anywhere. It's like she vanished in thin air, but they all knew that couldn't be the case.

"He can't possibly have Emily, right?" Alexis said with worry.

"I don't know, but why would he go for her. How does he know her?" Kate said.

"I don't know, this would be the youngest," Castle said.

"Yeah, why change his motive. I mean he has done different age ranges, but why stray to a little girl," Esposito said.

"Wait!?" Kate said.

"A therapist," Castle and Kate said together.

"A therapist?" Alexis, Ryan, and Esposito asked.

"It all makes sense now. The person who you'd spill your deepest, darkest secrets and scariest fears to would be a therapist," Castle said.

"Yeah, and all the files would be filled with information," Kate said.

"So, someone stole a whole bunch of confidential files to kill people with their biggest fears?" Esposito asked, confused with the whole information.

"I don't know. If they would've been stolen, someone would have come forward already that their files are missing, or recognized our victims," Kate said.

"Who did Emily have as a therapist?" Alexis asked.

"She had Dr. Lasseter," Kate said.

"I'll give her office a call," Ryan said as he walked off.

"I'll go see if anyone's seen anything suspicious in the last few hours," Esposito said and walked off too.

"I'm sure we'll find her," Castle said.

"Yeah, I know. I don't even know how to feel right now. This all seems so redundant. Emily's been through so much stuff and I'm afraid one day down the road she's going to break," Kate said, shaking her head.

"What do you mean?" Castle asked.

"I'm afraid she's going to turn into her mother. My sister went through a lot and after mom died, that's when she spiraled out of control. She was already down the wrong path, but after that, there was no coming back for her."

"Emily has people all around her, who care for her. She has you, Kate. I'm pretty sure Emily will be smart enough to choose the right path. She's growing up to be a sweet and smart young girl and it's because of you," Castle said.

"My dad's right. I can see the difference in her too," Alexis said.

"Thank you both. You've been great for Emily too and I couldn't have done it without you," Kate said.

"I'm sure you could have, but we're glad we could be there for you both," Castle said.

They shared a short hug and Ryan came over with some news, "I got ahold of Dr. Lasseter and it turns out she's been out of town for a week because of a family emergency in Seattle. She just got back today and noticed some of her files were disorganized. All of them seem to be our victims."

"So whoever is doing this is a patient," Kate said.

"Seems like it. She said that she would gather her schedule and files up and bring them in as soon as possible," Ryan said.

"Good, at least we have a lead," Kate said, yet in the back of her mind, she was still worried.

* * *

Emily's POV

I was lying in a very dark and empty room. Almost empty, I had that very weird man looming over me as he watched my paralyzed body lying on the floor of the eerie room. I couldn't feel anything and it was horrible. I've never felt as powerless and alone as of right now. I mean, when I was buried alive it was pretty much the same, but here, the only body part I could move was my eyes to watch the man watch me like a hawk.

He crouched down next to me and I looked at his cold and unnerving facial features. He had light hazel eyes and a slight stubble on his face. His hair was long and hung in face, covering certain spots, making him look really creepy.

He talked in a low raspy voice, almost like a scared child, or man to be correct, "You're probably want to know why I'm doing this. Daddy never let me have any fun. He always said to go to bed Mikey, do this and do that Mikey. Why couldn't you be more like your brother Mikey? If your brother was still here, I wouldn't have to deal with you, you pathetic little runt. Daddy never loved me. He was scary, but then I scared him. I scared him so bad, he fell… He fell down those stairs. Then they placed me in foster care and I got to have fun with all the other boys and girls. They didn't like playing with me though. They always told on me, Mikey killed the cat, Mikey killed the dog, and Mikey scared me. Mikey, Mikey, Mikey."

He was confessing his whole life story to me and I could definitely see how messed up he was. What made him relapse though and take it on all the patients? All I could do was listen and listening I was. Maybe it will get me one step closer to understanding him and his mental stability.

"My last foster mom found Dr. Lasseter. At that time known as Dr. Hartley. She was the only person who'd listen to me and was there for me when I needed it. Then she became less frequent in my life. She was going to stop our sessions and pawn me off to another doctor. Maybe even a special institution. I had to retaliate, nobody loves me, and nobody cares about me. Mikey is no good, Mikey is bad, and Mikey is crazy. I'm not bad, I just wanted to have fun," he said looking extremely sad and helpless.

I couldn't help but feel at least a little sorry for him, but someone on this level would be hard to get through. He's already went down the dark and stormy road and his judgment has gone completely hazy. He's just doing what he knows and what he loves. This is what makes him happy and helps him escape his own childhood fears.

"I know about you. You seem misunderstood, little Emily Marie Beckett Roswell. You are an adorable child. I've read your folder like everyone else's, from cover to cover. You, Emily Marie Beckett Roswell, are ten years old, and born on May 21, 2002. You seem to have had a lot of bad stuff happen to you too. I completely understand your dilemma. Your mother, Jane Hannah Beckett, was a drug attic like my dad. Your dad, Jimmy Helix Roswell, a drug dealer. Both of your parents deceased and you're now living with your aunt, a detective. Seems like you've got the short end of the stick, just like me," he said.

It was frightening how much he could remember and able to rattle off my whole life story, without anything in front of him. One thing though, I didn't like him comparing me to him. I was nothing like him and I wasn't going to become him either. I still couldn't do anything, so I had to keep listening to this wack jobs speech.

"Your whole life has been nothing but a living hell. My life too. We are both sad little freaks who were shunned, at least you still have family, but don't you ever feel like you don't belong. I feel that way every single day. I watch the imbeciles I work with, live with, and pass by, every single day, living their lives, hiding their fears. I bring those fears to life, I show them how scary life really is. They get to see what I see every day. Now it's your turn little Emily. I was going to make you my partner in crime, but the way you looked at me and passed me by like I was nothing, like I was some creepy man. It hurt, I thought we were going to be close, but you can't be trusted either, you're just like everyone else," he said as he got up.

He walked to the door and shut off the light, making it pitch black in the room.

"Have fun living your greatest fear, Emily. Dying alone, in the dark, letting your aunt down, and leaving her all alone," he said as he left, slamming the door.

I just laid there in complete darkness, staring up into the nothingness. I just hoped Aunt Kate figured this all out and were on their way to rescue me. For the first time in a long time, I was truly scared.

* * *

3rd Person POV

Everyone was gathered around in a conference room in the precinct, flipping through all the potential suspects. They made one pile for the victims, one for people who were cleared, and one for the potential suspects. Dr. Lasseter was helping too because she knew her patients better than anybody. All hands were on deck, even Castle and Alexis were able to join in on the search. They flipped through the schedules to see if there was anyone who'd been in on the same day as the victims or if they had a unique pattern that fit the bill.

So far there was no luck, but it didn't mean they were going to give up. They were determined to break this case, protect other patients' lives, and find Emily safe and sound.

"Wait, him," Dr. Lasseter pointed out.

"Mikey Dillon Parker," Kate said as she looked at the file.

"Yes, I've had him since he was only a boy. Around Emily's age. He's been troubled since he accidently killed his father when he was eight. He hurt hundreds of animals, other foster children, and many of his foster parents. He's been in and out of psychiatric hospitals since he was fourteen. I thought he was finally getting better, but something must have triggered a relapse," Dr. Lasseter said.

"Are you positive?" Kate asked.

"Yes, I am. I trusted him, I'd always let my assistant let him into my office early when I was running late, or I'd let him stay to recuperate after a rough session. He would have had so many opportunities to read the files," she said.

"How comes he didn't take them?" Castle asked.

"Mikey may have been troubled, but he's always been a brilliant boy. He could retain information like a computer and relay it back to you if you asked him about it three years later. I always thought he was just misunderstood and lashing out for attention, but it seems to be deeper than that. I should have had him placed into an institution a long time ago, but he was one of my first cases and I always thought he'd turn around. I was wrong and put everyone's lives in danger," Dr. Lasseter said with tears running freely down her face.

"It's not your fault Dr. Lasseter. You didn't know this would happen. We're going to go find him and put an end to this," Kate said.

"Okay. Find your niece safe and well," Dr. Lasseter said.

Kate nodded and rounded up a squad to take to Mikey Parker's residence.

* * *

They entered Mikey Parkers residence, which was a rundown apartment building in the Bronx. They found his apartment number and Esposito kicked down the door. They charged in and found Mikey, sketching at his messy dining table. His whole apartment was filled with papers, trash, and clothes.

"Mikey Parker, you're under arrest for five counts of murder and one count of child abduction," Ryan said.

"Hands up and face us slowly," Kate said.

Mikey placed his pencil down and put his hands up. He stood up from his old, rickety chair, and faced the detectives, with their guns drawn.

"It was necessary. I need to finish my plan," Mikey said.

Esposito grabbed him and placed Mikey's hands behind his back, cuffing them together.

"Sure, whatever you say. You're coming with us and telling us where Emily is," Esposito said as he dragged Mikey away, telling him his rights.

"Kate, look at these," Castle said.

Kate walked over to where Castle was standing and said, "These are all the murders that occurred."

"Yeah, he drew them all and in great detail too. This guy is really something," Castle said as he flipped through the drawings.

"Is there anything of Emily?" Kate asked.

"Doesn't look like it, but there are so many papers in here, it could be on one of them," Castle said.

"Ryan, do you think you can gather some of these sketches?" she asked.

"Yeah, sure thing. I'll meet you back at the precinct," Ryan said.

"Okay, thanks," she said.

* * *

Back at the precinct, Kate was in the interrogation room with Castle and Dr. Lasseter. They felt they'd have a better chance with Mikey if they had someone he trusted in the room with them.

"Mikey, why did you do these things?" Dr. Lasseter asked.

"You left me. You left me for a week. You haven't been here for me like you always promised. You were going to get rid of me, just like everyone else," Mikey said.

"I wasn't going to get rid of you Mikey. I was going to help you, keep you safe," she said.

"You left me and told that man that I needed to be put away. I didn't want to go, I don't want to go…" he cried.

"Mikey listen to me. I had things I needed to handle and I just wanted you to have a better place to live and think."

"Why don't you love me anymore?"

"Mikey, I do love you, but what you did was wrong. You know that right?"

"Yes, but it was just some fun. Nobody understands me. They all look at me like I'm a freak, but I'm not the freak. They are the freaks. They don't understand the fears that lurk around every corner. I know fear all too well."

"Yes you do Mikey, but what you did was not the way to go about it. You should have called me, you know that."

"I know, but I was angry. I'm always angry. Everyone I know hurts me."

"That's not true Mikey."

"I guess not."

"Mikey, I need you to tell Detective Becket where you put Emily."

Mikey looked over at Castle and Kate who were standing in the back of the room, "She is experiencing her biggest fear."

"Where?" Kate asked.

"What's her biggest fear detective? Do you know anything about your niece?" Mikey snickered.

"Mikey stop playing games," Dr. Lasseter said.

"It is just a game. A game of fear. So tell me Detective Beckett, what's Emily's biggest fear?" Mikey said, zeroing in on Kate with piercing eyes.

"I don't… She's afraid of being buried alive," Kate stammered, trying to think of what Emily was afraid of.

"Wrong-o, she's afraid of dying alone without the people she loves and letting you down," Mikey said.

"What?" Kate said.

"It's true detective Beckett. I read it in her file. Sure she was scared of being buried alive, but her real fears were dying alone without the people she loved. Ultimately letting you down in the process and leaving you all alone in grief. I bet that's one of your biggest fears too, detective. Losing everyone you love, watching them all fall one by one," he said.

Mikey started laughing and Kate said, "You don't know anything about me."

"Au-contraire detective, I know you very well. Emily didn't just share her deepest darkest secrets, but yours too. You two are by far, my favorite people to learn about. I was hoping to recruit Emily in my plans to have fun with other people's fears, but she ignored me and tried to escape me. I thought we'd have a connection, but she treated me just like everyone else," Mikey said.

"I'm sorry Mikey, but this isn't right. You've been through a lot of difficult times and are hurting deep down, but leave them out of this. Help save that little girl's life. You wouldn't want to hurt her," Dr. Lasseter chimed in.

He looked over at the doctor and said, "She's not in any trouble. I left her at an abandoned old shack a few miles north. It would have taken a few days for her to succumb to death."

"Can you give them the exact place?" Dr. Lasseter asked.

He nodded and Mikey told them everything, and soon they were off to get Emily back.

* * *

Emily's POV

I got my feelings back a few minutes ago. It was slowly working its way through my system and I started to move my toes and feet first. I got up carefully and looked around the dark and empty room. It was still pitch black and I had to feel around the room. I finally managed to find the light switch and flipped it on. Honestly' the light wasn't that much better, it was still eerie and dim in the small little shack. There was two windows, but they were both boarded up pretty well.

I tried the door, but it was no use. It was locked tight and I was trapped in here, alone, afraid, and cold. It was mid-January so, it was still pretty nippy out there. Which was slowly slipping into this dingy little shack. I tried out my vocals to see if I could speak again, "Hello… Hello…"

It was a little rough, but I managed to get out that simple word. I decided to sit against the wall, to wait for the cavalry to come and rescue me. Mikey was right, this was one of my biggest fears, it's like I'm trapped in my own mind, all alone and away from everyone I love. My other fear was to leave my aunt Kate alone, sure she has Castle now, but she's already lost her mom and her sister. I can't be the cause of another heartache she has to get through. I couldn't do that to her.

I started to give up hope, until I heard the undeniable sounds of police sirens. I smiled and knew that I was saved once again. The door was busted open and Aunt Kate, Esposito, Ryan, and Castle came into the shack. I stood up and said, "Hey, what did I miss?"

My aunt smiled and said, "Just the usual."

I gave her a hug and said, "I love you, Aunt Kate."

"I love you too, Em," she said.

"Hey there mini Beckett," Castle said.

"Hey, Castle. So did you get inspiration for your new book?" I asked.

He smirked and said, "I may have a little something."

We all chuckled, trying to push the fears away that we were all experiencing just hours before.

* * *

We went back to Castle place because we decided to all be together for the night. Everyone was thankful that my fear wasn't something to life-threatening and were able to track down Mikey before it was too late. Mikey is going to go to prison but they're going to make sure he gets the help he needs. Out of all the people I've been taken by, I think Mikey was truly confused and didn't mean what he did. He's just a troubled guy, trying to break away from his own fears. Hopefully where they take him, he'll be able to cope with everything that's bothered him since he was a kid.

Even though some of my biggest fears were dying alone, letting Aunt Kate down, and leaving her alone, I learned that I don't need to be afraid of that anymore. So I guess one good thing came out of this wild case, I learned I'm surrounded by the people I love and that aunt Kate will have people to pull her through any tough time. I'm passed my childhood fears… Well, at least a few of them.


	37. Chapter 37

AN: Have a safe and exciting New Year's Eve everyone. See you next year. Thank's to everyone for following, favouring, and reviewing this story. Here's the next chapter everybody, enjoy. Don't forget to Review. :)

Disclaimer: I do not own Castle or it's characters.

* * *

Video Project

Our teacher gave us a video assignment a few days ago. We have to film a parent or guardian for the whole day. I, of course, am filming my Aunt Kate in action for the day. She wasn't too thrilled with the assignment at first, but she came around after I begged her relentlessly. Castle was kind of disappointed that I didn't pick him, but I told him I'll try to get him some screen time.

I woke up in the early morning hours and got dressed. I took out the school's camera that we got to borrow and hit the record button. I faced the camera towards me and said, "I'm Emily Beckett Roswell. Today is March 15th, 2013, and I will be filming my Aunt Kate, who's a detective at the 12th precinct. Let's go see how she starts out her day, so she has the strength for her difficult job."

I faced the camera back in front of me and walked out of my room and headed to the kitchen. I found my aunt Kate in the kitchen, drinking a healthy power smoothie in her pajamas. Her pajamas consisted of an old NYPD shirt and black pajama pants. She looked over at me, with my camera in hand, and glared at me, "What are you doing?"

"I'm filming you. It's for my video project, remember?" I said.

"Yeah, but aren't you supposed to be filming me working?" she asked looking uncomfortably at the camera.

"Well, somewhat, but Mr. Dawson said to film the whole day, so we can see how they prepare for work and how they unwind after work."

"Okay fine. For now, stop filming and eat some breakfast."

"All right."

I turned off the camera and got some cereal. As I ate, Aunt Kate went to her room to get dressed. By the time I finished, Aunt Kate was finished getting ready. I put my bowl in the sink and then I grabbed the camcorder, so I could film Aunt Kate in action. Aunt Kate's phone started to ring and she answered it. I zoomed in on her face and she tried to turn her head away from the camera.

"Okay, bye," she hung up and looked at me, "get your jacket, we have a case."

"Sweet…" I said as I turned off the camera.

I threw on my jacket as quick as possible, then we headed out the door and to her car. I turned the camera back on as we drove and filmed our trip to the crime scene. I pointed the device at my aunt, catching her profile. She looked annoyed, but she knew this was a part of my project, so she didn't object to the excessive filming. I decided to narrate as I filmed because the silence was kind of awkward, "So, we are on our way to a crime scene. Aunt Kate, do you want to tell them where we're going?"

She looked over at me quickly and said, "No."

She looked back at the road and I said, "Come on Aunt Kate. Don't be so grumpy."

She grumbled out, "I'm not grumpy."

"Okay, then tell my class where we're headed and some information about the case."

"Ugh…Okay, fine. We're headed to the docks, there's been a murder on a boat."

"Ooh, exciting."

My aunt rolled her eyes and said, "Now let me focus on driving."

"All right."

It was silent once again and I continued to film our trip. We finally arrived and I got out of the car, still holding the camera in my hand. We walked up to the crime scene and found Lanie with the body. I pointed the camera at Lanie and she raised an eyebrow at me.

"Um… Why are you filming?" she asked.

"I'm filming a school project. We have to film one of our parents or guardians on the job. Can you introduce yourself?" I asked.

"Oh…Well hi, I'm Dr. Lanie Parish and I'm the medical examiner at the 12th precinct," she said, waving awkwardly at the camera.

"Cool, thanks," I said.

Lanie still looked kind of nervous, so Aunt Kate said, "Just try to ignore that she's here."

"Okay. Well we have 45 year old, Aaron Kline, shot twice in the chest. Time of death seems to be around three in the morning," Lanie said.

I looked over the body with the camera and zoomed in on the bullet wounds.

"Should you really be taping that?" my aunt asked.

"We need to get the feel of things," I said.

"I think they get it."

I shrugged and pointed the camera back at Lanie.

"Here, I found his wallet. Seems like this wasn't a robbery," she said as she handed Aunt Kate the wallet.

My aunt looked through it and said, "Yeah, cash, credit cards, and his license are still here. Anything else."

"As far as I can tell, no. But I'll let you know if I get anything else. I also found this business card in his pocket," Lanie said as she handed over a blue business card.

"Hmm… John Burns, Boat Whisperer, Marine Service. We'll have to look into this," Aunt Kate said.

Ryan came over and said, "Beckett, I talked to the person who found the body. He says that Aaron was here a lot. Mostly the weekends and went fishing. The guy said he was here last night and didn't hear any kind of commotion, no gun shots either."

"Our killer probably used a silencer," my aunt said.

"Yeah, that's what I was thinking," Ryan said.

Ryan noticed I was filming and he looked a little frightened. He smiled nervously and said, "Um… Hi…"

"She's filming a school project," my aunt said.

"Oh, okay. Um... Hi I'm Detective Ryan and I uh, I solve stuff… I mean murders," Ryan said.

My aunt rolled her eyes again and I said, "You know, you'd think you guys would be used to the camera after you were filmed for the documentary of that rock band, Holy Shemp, after the lead guitarist, James Swan, died."

"Yeah, right. That was interesting," Ryan said with a weird look on his face.

"Hey, what did I miss?" Castle asked as he came up to us with two coffees in hand.

"Castle, why are you all dressed up and your hair combed to perfection?" my aunt asked as she looked at him.

"Looking ruggedly handsome is my thing. I always look like this," he said with a smile.

"No you don't," Ryan and my aunt said.

"I do too," Castle implied, then looked over at the camera with a goofy grin and said, "Hi there. I'm Richard Castle, novelist. Author of the Derrick Storm and Nikki Heat novels."

"Really, Castle? They're ten and in the fifth grade," my aunt said, annoyance written all over her face.

"Maybe their parents read the books. Or if they didn't, it's a great present for any holiday," Castle said with a smirk.

"This is going to be a long day," my aunt sighed.

* * *

We went to the precinct and Aunt Kate was writing on the investigation board. I was filming it and trying to get the most footage as possible.

"Okay, so Aaron had a wife and no kids. His wife, Judie, is coming in to talk with us…" Esposito said as he came over, stopping short as he looked at my camera.

"It's for a school project…" my aunt said with a long sigh.

"Cool, I'm Detective Esposito and you guys should respect the law," Esposito said, then he pointed at the camera, continuing his statement, "I don't want to bust any of you guys down the road."

"Umm…" is all we said as we looked at him oddly.

"Hey, I'm just saying. They need to know," he said with a shrug.

"Okay," my aunt said.

"Oh and if any of your moms are hot and single, tell them to look up Javier Esposito," he said with a sly smile.

"God, I work with the weirdest people," my aunt said.

"Hey," Castle and Esposito said.

"Don't worry Aunt Kate, I'll be editing it out. Actually I think I'll be editing most of my film out…" I said.

"Good… Now back to the main focus, our case. I'm going to see John Burns, and see if he knew the victim," she said.

Esposito looked at the camera and said, "Okay, I'll be here. I'll be working hard on the investigation and making sure we solve this case."

I shook my head with a smile, this film is definitely going to be something. I started following my aunt Kate and she said, "Stay here."

"I need to film everything," I said.

"Okay fine. Just stay out of the way."

"I always do."

She gave me that stern look I feared and I said, "I'll stay out of the way."

* * *

We were driving towards the marine shop and I was sitting in the back because Castle had shotgun.

"So Kate, you want to come over tonight?" Castle asked with a smile.

"Castle… She's filming us," my aunt said.

Castle looked back at me and I smiled at him from behind the camera. He smiled nervously and said, "I meant for the case… To go over the case…. I think better at home and stuff."

"Nice…" my aunt chuckled.

"Edit that out," Castle said.

"Yup…" I said.

"Emily…" My aunt said looking in the rearview mirror.

"I will… Don't worry."

"Good."

We got to the place and found a heavier man, in his fifties, fixing up a boat engine. My aunt flashed her badge and said, "John Burns, I'm Detective Beckett and this is my partner Castle. I need to ask you a few questions."

"Yeah, sure. But uhh… you going to be taping all this little missy," he said.

"Not if you don't want to be viewed in a fifth grade class. I'll just keep the camera on them if you'd like," I said.

"Yeah, you do that kid," he said.

"Sure thing," I said and kept the camera on my aunt and Castle.

"So, Mr. Burns, do you know Aaron Kline?" my aunt asked.

"Well, yeah… We went to College together. Reconnected a few years ago when he needed his boat fixed. We go out for drinks every Sunday at our favorite sports bar," Mr. Burns said off camera.

"Well, Mr. Kline was murdered this morning," my aunt said.

"No way… This isn't happening. I can't believe Aaron's dead. I just saw him three nights ago," he said shaking his head.

"Did he have any enemies?" she asked.

"No, not that I know of."

"Are you sure?" Castle asked.

"Well, yeah… Actually, when we were out drinking three nights ago he seemed a little edgy. I tried to ask him what was up, but he kind of shrugged it off. Mostly blaming it on lack of sleep," he said.

"Was it just that night, or have you noticed it before?" my aunt asked.

"Nah, just that night. He's usually all happy go luck and stuff… It was like he wasn't himself. Man I wish I would have caught on."

"I'm sorry, Mr. Burns… If you think of anything else let us know," she said as she handed him a card.

"Yeah, thanks" he said sadly.

We started heading back to the car and I was still filming.

"Do you think Mr. Kline knew he was going to die?" Castle asked.

"Well, he definitely knew something was up," my aunt said.

* * *

Back at the precinct while my aunt was looking through some information on the case, I was filming Castle looking at the investigation board with interest.

"Detective Beckett," the captain said as she came over.

I pointed my camera at Captain Gates and she gave me an odd look, "Why is she filming?"

"She's doing a school project captain. She has to shadow me for the day," my aunt said.

"Oh, well if it's educational. Just stay out of trouble little Beckett," she said.

"Will do captain… Do you mind telling my class who you are?" I asked.

"Well, sure. I'm Captain Gates, head of the 12th precinct. I hope this video is very educational and I want all of you out there to make good decisions," she said.

"Thanks Captain Gates," I said.

"No problem… Anyway, Detective Beckett, I need you to go back to the docks because Mr. Kline's boat was just stolen," the captain said, as her eyes kept shifting from the camera to my aunt.

"All right captain, I'll get right on it," my aunt said.

"Good work, detective. Keep me filled in," she nodded and walked off to her office.

"That was interesting," I said.

"It sure was," Castle and my aunt said together.

* * *

We went down to the docks where we were earlier and found just a pile of rope at the spot we were at just hours before.

"Jorge Diaz? You spoke to a detective earlier?" my aunt said as we went over to a skinny man around our victim's age.

"Yes, I found Aaron this morning. I was working on my boat a few hours ago and I heard an engine. When I got here, his boat was already peeling off… I can't believe this, there hasn't been anything real bad going on at the harbor until now," Jorge said.

"Have you seen anybody suspicious around here lately?" Aunt Kate asked.

"No I haven't, I mean it's always the regulars… There has been a few teens around here lately, but I mean, I don't think they killed Aaron. All they've been doing is vandalizing the harbor, knocking stuff over, keying the boats, and smoking weed," he said.

"Have you called the cops?" she asked.

"Yeah, I make complaints and stuff, but by the time they check into it, the little brats are usually gone," he said.

"Do you have surveillance cameras?" Castle asked.

"Yeah, we just installed some a few weeks ago," he said.

"Okay, we need all the footage from the past week," my aunt said.

"Will do," he said.

While they continued to chat up the man, I caught something out in the distance with my camera. I zoomed in and found a hooded figure behind a nearby pole. I looked up from behind the camera and he saw me catch his eye. He bolted and I said, "Aunt Kate!"

"I see him," she said as she took off after him.

I ran after them with my camera, trying to film the action go down. Castle was behind me as we chased down the guy. Aunt Kate caught up to him and slammed him up against the wall of the alleyway we went down.

"Ow… Come on man… I didn't do nothing," the young teen said.

"Then why were you down at the docks and hiding?" my aunt asked.

"I wanted to see what was going on," he said.

My aunt patted him down and pulled boat keys out of the kid's pocket. Castle looked at the camera and said, "Busted…"

* * *

Back at the precinct, I was in the observation room, watching the interrogation from behind the glass. Castle was with me and said, "This is the best part. Detective Beckett is great at getting the information out of the perps. She is definitely a master and cracked many cases in that very room."

I pointed the camera at myself and said, "Yeah, she is pretty awesome. Believe me, I've been interrogated by her… Not fun."

I pointed it back at Castle and he said, "Yeah, same here. Yet it is kind of fun."

"For you maybe."

"I guess. Ooh, it's starting. Let's listen in."

I pointed my camera at the window and watched as my aunt sat at the desk, facing the young man.

"So, Ronnie, what were you doing at the docks with Mr. Kline's keys?" she asked him.

"Look, lady," he said.

"Detective," she said.

"Detective, I didn't know whose boat it was. I ran into this guy and he said to go to the docks and hijack this boat called the Sweeny. I didn't ask any questions, I mean he paid me a hundred and fifty bucks."

"Where is the boat?"

Ronnie looked embarrassed and said, "I've never driven a boat before. I kind of wrecked it. Started sinking a few miles away from the harbor. I used the life raft to get back. That's when I saw you guy's and I hid."

"Okay. So the man never said his name?"

"No."

"Could you identify him?"

"Yeah, he was pretty distinctive looking."

"Okay, I want you to look at some footage and see if you recognize anyone."

"Sure thing…But detective, am I going to jail?'

"We'll work out a deal, but stay out of trouble."

"Yeah, okay."

Castle looked at the camera and said, "Well, it looks like the kids off the hook, let's see if we're one step closer to finding this killer."

We walked out of the observation room and followed them to another room where they played footage from the harbor. A few minutes of film went by and Aaron came on screen with a very familiar face tagging along with him.

"That's him… That's the guy," Ronnie said.

"Wait? Are you sure?" my aunt said.

"Yeah, I'm positive," he said.

"Looks like his friend, wasn't really a friend after all," Castle said giving a sideways glance to the camera.

* * *

A little while later, Ryan and Esposito came back with Mr. Burns in tow. A uniformed cop brought him to the interrogation room and Esposito said, "He tried to run, but I was able to catch him easily. No one's a match for Esposito."

Ryan gave an exasperated face and said, "Yeah, sure Javie."

"Come on, you know I'm the muscles and you're the brains."

"You're definitely something."

"Yeah well…"

I walked away from their banter, shaking my head all the way to the observation room.

"Hey," I heard them call out.

I went into the observation room and started filming my aunt and Castle in the interrogation room with Mr. Burns.

"Well, Mr. Burns, looks like you didn't give us the whole truth," my aunt said.

"Look, I didn't kill Aaron," he said.

"Video footage says otherwise," Castle chimed in.

"I was with him this morning and I wanted to confront him for selling the boat," he sighed.

"Why?" my aunt asked.

"A few weeks ago I wanted to buy it from him. He said he wasn't going to sell it. A few weeks later, I see it on sale on Craigslist. I admit I was pissed that he passed on me to sell it to some random stranger, but I didn't kill him. I was long gone by the time he was murdered, he was still alive when I left, I swear," he said.

"Do you know who he was selling it too?" my aunt asked.

"No, I didn't," he said.

"How'd you get the keys?" my aunt asked.

"I made a copy of them once, when he brought the boat into my shop," he said.

"How comes you told the teenager to hijack the boat?" Castle said.

"I thought if I took it, I'd look guilty, so I asked the kid to do it for me. I told him to park it at a dock a few miles from here, but when I got there, it wasn't in sight. Thought the kid jipped me," Mr. Burns said.

"You look even guiltier, and next time, don't give a boat to a novice," my aunt said.

I left the room when they finished and ran into Aunt Kate and Castle.

"So, do you think it was the guy he was selling it to?" I asked.

My aunt looked down at me and the camera and said, "We're going to find out."

"Cool," I said.

Esposito and Ryan came up to us and Esposito said, "Hey, turns out Mr. Burns was right. Aaron was selling the boat."

"Yeah, to a Harry Lorenzo. Guess when they were meeting?" Ryan said.

"This morning," my aunt said.

"Exactly," Ryan said.

"Looks, like we've found our man," Castle said with a giddy smile.

They started leaving to go bring in Harry Lorenzo and I was following.

"No, you stay here," she said.

"What, why?" I asked.

"We don't know how dangerous this guy is," she said.

"Technically we do," I said.

I earned myself a glare and she said, "Stay here."

"Fine," I said.

I sat at her desk and pointed the camera at my face.

"So, I can't go because she doesn't want me in danger. I've been through a lot, but the action is still awesome. I wish I could have gone. Anyway, I'll save my film until they get back."

I turned off the camera and waited patiently until they returned.

* * *

About an hour later they returned with Harry Lorenzo who had long stringy hair and dark baggy clothes. They brought him to the interrogation room, and I took the cue to start filming the conclusion of the case. I went to the observation room and Aunt Kate was interrogating Mr. Lorenzo.

"Mr. Lorenzo we have evidence that you were meeting with Mr. Kline last night. We also found your gun which matches the murder weapon. So, I'd fess up. Save us all a lot of time," she said.

"You don't have anything on me," he said.

"Save it Mr. Lorenzo. We watched some more footage and saw you with him around the time he was murdered. Why kill him and not take the boat?" she asked.

"All right, fine. That prick killed my daughter three years ago, drunk driving. They let him off on a technicality. When I found out he was selling his boat, I took the opportunity," he said with tears in his eyes.

"I'm sorry for your loss, Mr. Lorenzo, but this was not the way to go about it," she said.

"Yeah, I know," he sighed.

They booked Mr. Lorenzo for the murder of Mr. Kline and Aunt Kate was getting ready to head home. I pointed my camera at her and said, "Aunt Kate, anything you'd like to say?"

She looked dead at the camera, her hazel eyes boring at me, "That the case is over and I'm heading home."

"Aww... Come on Aunt Kate. Maybe something cool, like that's how we do it at the 12th precinct," I said.

A scowl crossed her face and then an arm got thrown over her shoulder, "Well, mini Beckett, it looks like you won't be getting anything out of her, but I'm sure I can fill in."

"All right, what do you got Castle?" I asked

"This is Richard Castle and Detective Beckett signing off after another successful case," he said and ended with a huge grin.

My aunt looked perturbed and annoyed all at once.

"We're going home," she said, shrugging Castle's arm off her shoulder.

"Welp, I guess that's the best I'll get," I said as my aunt left the frame.

Castle nodded with a chuckle, agreeing with my statement.

* * *

We got to edit our videos the next time we had class and then the following day, we turned it in to the teacher. Let's just say mine was a big hit with the class. I even scored an A+ on it. So, we decided to have a little viewing party at my aunt's apartment, to see my A+ work. Plus everyone wanted to make sure I didn't make them look like complete buffoons on the tape.

The end came on and I was the only person on the screen.

"Well, there you have it. My aunt has a pretty sweet job and is great at it. Yeah she can be tough, but I know I can go to her for anything. She may work with a bunch of doofuses, but they're all very smart doofuses, that makes our city safer and brighter every day. We need some kind of laughter in this line of work that's so tedious and depressing. I enjoy the 12th precinct and I hope you enjoyed them too. That's my mini documentary of my Aunt Kate and I hope you enjoyed."

The film faded to black and then a title popped on the screen, "BLOOPERS!"

The first scene came on the screen and it was Esposito looking at his reflection in a mirror. The camera zoomed in and he was talking to himself, "Who's the handsomest dude here? You are… Check out these sweet guns."

He lifted up an arm and kissed his muscles, "Oh yeah, Javier. You're in sick shape, just like always. That workout is so working for you. Is that a pimple, come on…"

My chuckling was heard in the background and Esposito turned and faced me.

"Did you get all that on tape?" he asked, bewilderment clear on his face.

The camera shook yes and his face quickly turned into anger. He ran after me and he said, "Get back here mini Beckett, you're so not using that!"

The camera faded to black and then the next scene came on. Ryan was picking his nose and throwing it into his trash can. His phone started ringing and he answered it, "Hey honey bunny. How are you? Yeah I miss you too, Jenny… Case should be done soon… Yeah I love you… No, I love you more… I love you more… No, I love you way more…"

I snickered on the other side of the camera and Ryan looked over with shock on his face.

"Yeah I'm gonna have to go…Yeah, I'm about to kill a ten year old," Ryan said, hanging up.

He ran after me and said, "Delete that footage mini Beckett…"

The screen faded and cut to Lanie in the morgue. She was with a dead body and talking to him, "Who's the coolest dead guy alive? You are. Looking all snazzy in your birthday suit. Did I just get my hair done? Yes I did, thanks for asking. You know you're the only one who's noticed… You're something Mr. Benjamin."

"Thank you," I tried to say in a deep voice.

"Emily!? Get out of here… You're in so much trouble…You're filming this, edit that footage…"

I laughed all the way out of the morgue. She continued to call after me, "Emily, I'm warning you…"

The screen faded once more and then Castle popped up on the screen. He was playing with little mini figures on Aunt Kate's work desk.

"Pew… Pew… Take that Dark Lord… Pew…Pew… I'm going to take over all of the galaxy…Pew… Pew…" he said, pretending the one guy was killing the other alien looking figure.

He caught a glimpse of my camera and said, "Mini Beckett… tell me you're not filming…"

"That would be a lie," I said.

He came after me and said, "Come here… You're so dead…'

Once more, the scene faded to black and then my aunt popped up on the screen, drinking a glass of wine, curled up on the couch, while on the phone. She was wearing an oversized t-shirt and shorts for bed.

"Yeah, Castle… No I didn't get to see it yet… Yeah, I hope she edits a lot of stuff out too… Pfft… You're so weird Castle… She's in bed… Yeah," she said and took a sip of wine.

The camera zoomed in and I said, "Wow, your pores are really huge Aunt Kate."

"Em, how much did you film," she said.

"Enough," I said with a chuckle.

"Hold on Castle… I'm going to deal with this pest," she said.

She grabbed me and placed a hand over the lens.

"Aww… Aunt Kate, come on, it was some good footage," I groaned off camera.

"Bed time now. And delete it…" she said as she pushed me into my room, the camera going all over the place as I shook it.

The camera pointed up at her and I said, "You're no fun."

"Believe me I'm a lot of fun. Now good night," she said.

"Wait, don't you want to say one last thing?" I asked.

"Nope," she blew me a raspberry and shut my door.

"Guess, that's a wrap," I said.

The footage turned off for good and rolled the credits, giving a special thanks to the 12th precinct.

* * *

All eyes were on me and my aunt said, "Emily, I thought we said to edit out the footage."

"You did, but you didn't say anything about bloopers," I said with a shrug.

"Mini Beckett," Esposito said.

"Yeah," I said.

"Run," everyone said in unison.

I bolted to my room and quickly locked the door behind me. Everyone was banging on the door and telling me to come out. I think I'm going to be in here for a very long time.


	38. Chapter 38

AN: Wow, 101 followers that's awesome! :D This chapter is based on Season 5 Episode 19 "The Lives of Others." Thank's to everyone for following, favouring, and reviewing this story. Here's the next chapter everybody, enjoy. Don't forget to Review. :)

Disclaimer: I do not own Castle or it's characters.

* * *

Castle and Mini Beckett on the Case 2.0

I was sitting at Castle's kitchen counter and eating a bowl of cereal. Castle was groaning as he tried to scratch his foot that he couldn't reach because his knee is in a brace. He received the brace when we went skiing a couple of weeks ago.

"Almost there, Castle. Just another two weeks," my aunt said as she sat across from him.

"It's already been two weeks. Two weeks is an eternity," he said.

"Well, maybe next time we go skiing, you're not gonna be such a show-off."

"I wasn't showing off…"

"You kind of were," I said chiming in.

"Okay, I was showing off a little bit. But I swear to you, I can do a tail-grab with my eyes closed, and without breaking my kneecap," he said.

"Mmm-hmm," my aunt and I said together.

My aunt was cleaning up Castle's breakfast plate and cup, and placed them in the sink. Mrs. Rodgers came down the stairs and said, "Well I am off. Now the retreat is out of cell phone range, so if I don't call you on your birthday, it is not because I have forgotten."

"I won't think it's because you've forgotten. I'll think it's because you made other plans," Castle said.

"Now, wait a minute. You and Katherine were supposed to be celebrating in Bora Bora this week."

"No, you're right. Have a great time on your retreat. On your only son's birthday."

My aunt came over to where I was eating and leaned against the counter, watching Castle give his mother the guilt trip.

"It is a spa trip, darling, not a guilt trip," his mom gave him a kiss, then she looked at Aunt Kate and said, "He's all yours. See you in a week. Bye Emily."

"Bye, Mrs. Rodgers," I said.

"Bye," Castle mumbled.

My aunt went over to Castle, hugging him from behind, and said, "Come on, Castle. Stop feeling sorry for yourself. I'll get us a reservation. I'll take you somewhere nice for your birthday."

"As nice as Bora Bora?" he asked.

She shrugged with an, "Mmm…"

Mrs. Rodgers opened the door and said, "Oh! Katherine, your ride is here."

"Oh, great," my aunt said.

"Ride?" Castle asked.

"Yeah we had a body drop. I asked the boys to pick me up so I'd have enough time to make you breakfast," she said.

"I'm missing another case? No, come on. Guys, take me with you," he whispered.

"No! Not until you get better," my aunt said.

Ryan and Esposito came in to the apartment, looking at Castle's busted leg.

"Castle, how's the knee?" Ryan asked.

"It's not the knee so much as boredom," Castle said.

"Yeah, he's like a baby," I said.

They chuckled at what I said. Castle looked over at me and said, "Quiet you."

"I thought you writers like being alone," Esposito said.

"Yeah, if I could write. But the painkillers make me a little loopy," Castle said.

"A little," I mumbled.

I got a glare from Castle and I went back to eating my cereal.

"Anyway… Last night, I used the word "speculate" three times in the same sentence," he said.

"Hmm. You must be bored. You've actually gone _Rear Window_ ," Ryan said as he picked up the binoculars Castle had by the window.

"Alexis got me those as a joke to cheer me up. I have not yet resorted to voyeurism," Castle said.

"Then you are missing out," Ryan said, whistling as he continued to look out the window.

"What? Let me see," Esposito said as he went to grab the binoculars from Ryan.

"No. Hey!" Ryan fussed.

"Give me the binoculars!" Esposito said.

"Dude, she was just about to take off her towel," Ryan said.

"The towels off. Yeah," Esposito mumbled.

"Unless the body that you're looking at is dead, I suggest you drop those binoculars. And there's a child in the room," my aunt said as she stood behind the two.

"She's almost eleven," Esposito said.

"Still a kid," my aunt said, then walked over to Castle, "Okay, Castle, I will call you and check on you soon. Emily, behave and watch over Castle."

"Will do," I said as she left.

"Hey, what if I consult by the phone? We can pretend I'm Charlie and you are my angels," Castle called after them.

Esposito and Ryan stopped at the door and posed like the ladies of _Charlie's Angels_. Then they were gone and Castle and I were all alone. I put my bowl in the sink and then walked over to a sulking Castle.

"So Castle, What do you want to do?" I asked him.

"I want to go help with the case," he pouted.

"Yeah I know. So do I, but I promised I'd hang out with you since I'm off for spring break."

"Yeah… At least I have someone to keep me company."

"Yep."

It was silent and we just kind of looked around the room.

"I'm bored," he said.

"Me too," I agreed.

"Ooh, I have an idea."

"What?"

"Go get my helicopter."

"Okay."

I went to fetch his helicopter and a few minutes later I brought him the remote control and the reddish-orange helicopter. He started flying it and said, "Looks like we've got some beautiful clear skies with us today. A nice tailwind's gonna get us there right away, folks. We'll be there at zero dark thirty, zero dark quarter to."

"Really, Castle?" I asked.

"Got a better idea?" he asked.

"Nope, continue."

I continued to watch him play with the toy copter, and he continued with his story, "Nice, Red Five. You're looking good. Oh, no! I've got something wrong!"

Castle started making the copter go haywire, "Oohh, that's not good."

I made a face and said, "No it's not."

"Evade! Evade, evade!" he said as he desperately tried to take back control of the helicopter.

It crashed into the side of one of his chairs and a few pieces flew off the copter.

"NO!" he shouted.

"Nice one Castle," I said.

"Eh… Thanks," he said looking at his broken helicopter.

He rolled his wheelchair over to the wreckage and picked up his broken toy, "Survivors?"

"No one's coming back from something like that," I said, looking at the helicopter in his lap.

He sighed and looked over at the table which held his binoculars.

"You're not going to go all peeping tom, are you?" I asked.

"No… Maybe. I mean it could be fun," he said.

"You're gross."

"I'm bored."

"I understand. You gonna do it?"

He looked at me and then rolled over towards the table with determination. I decided to join him at the window and we sat together. He was looking through them and looking at different windows.

"What do you see?" I asked, getting kind of excited.

This was so bad, yet it was so much fun. Getting to invade on people's privacy. Man, Aunt Kate would be furious right now.

"Hmm. Must be writers," he said.

"Writers?" I asked

"Yep," he said.

"Writers are strange."

He cleared his throat and glared at me. My eyes went wide and I said, "I mean they are, not you, you're cool."

"Uh-huh," he said and went back to looking through the binoculars.

"Now what?" I asked.

"Give me a second."

"Okay."

"Oh, that better be for a sick child."

"What? What should be?"

"A maid is stealing money from someone's dresser drawer."

"No way."

"Yeah way."

"Isn't that a crime?"

"Yeah."

"Shouldn't we tell someone?'

"Then we'd be admitting to peeping."

"Oh, right."

Castle looked through the binoculars again and said, "Oh, to be young and underemployed."

"Huh?" I asked.

"This is not meant for young audiences."

"Aww man."

"You have about a month and seven years before you can see this."

"I hate being young."

"Enjoy it while it lasts."

"I guess so."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, guys, slow down. It's not a race. Maybe close the blinds."

"Are you really watching that?"

"Hey, I'm cooped up in here with a busted kneecap. This is the most entertainment I got in weeks."

"Gross."

He laughed at me and continued peeping, "Mmm-hmm. All right, you kids, you have fun."

Castle got a serious look on his face and straightened up, "Someone's home early."

"What?" I asked.

"There's another man," he said.

"Eww…"

"Not like that. Wait... how do you? Never mind. I think the girl is cheating on her husband."

"And the husbands home!?"

"Exactly."

"That's not good."

"No its not."

"What's going on?"

"She's hiding the other guy under the bed."

"They are so gonna be busted."

Castle chuckled and said, "Maybe… Really? You're gonna kiss him now?"

"Seriously?"

"Oh yeah."

"Now what?"

"Her husband went to the bathroom. Now the other guy is bolting towards the front door. Maybe next time they'll think twice about being cheating cheaters," He said with a chuckle

"You're so weird," I said.

He smirked and gave a shrug.

"Uh-oh… Someone's got some 'splaining to do," Castle said.

"Now what?" I asked, on the edge of my seat.

"Husband found a hat that clearly isn't his."

"Ooh… Busted."

"Oh yeah."

* * *

For the rest of the day we stopped peeking at the people across the way and hung out with each other. Castle tried to write some more, but he wasn't getting anywhere. Night came and we were back at the window, but nothing entertaining was happening. Castle was playing with a magnifying glass and decided to call Aunt Kate.

"Where are you?" he asked.

There was a pause and then he said, "You said you were bringing home dinner."

"Aunt Kate, I'm starving," I said as I leaned over Castle to talk into his cell phone.

"So when are you leaving?" he asked as he continued to play with the magnifying glass.

"When's soon?" he asked.

"Fine," he said grumpily and hung up.

"When is she coming home?" I asked.

"Half an hour."

"Ugh… I'm hungry."

"Me too."

"Those toasted cheese sandwiches for lunch weren't even good."

"You made those, mini Beckett."

"I know."

He smirked and said, "Well, we'll be getting real food soon. I hope."

"Me too."

Castle went back to peeping at the window and I said, "Now what are they up to?"

"Making dinner," he said.

"Ugh, don't mention dinner."

"Sorry."

"It's okay."

"He is so on to you," Castle said as he continued to watch, "Ah, uh-huh. Here it comes. The inevitable huge breakup."

"What?" I asked.

"He's going to confront her."

"Ooh, cool. Tell me what happens."

"Will do… No, no, no, no. Don't, don't. Don't take the knife. Don't…"

I looked at Castle with wide eyes and said, "You're playing with me, right?"

"Look," he said.

I took the binoculars and saw the dude with a knife.

"No way," I mumbled.

He took them back and all he could say was, "uh…"

I looked out the window and barely saw something happening across the way. Whatever it was, it didn't look to good. Castle quickly reached for the phone and called, who I'm assuming, Aunt Kate. He put it on speaker and it rang a few time before aunt Kate answered, "Castle, I'm not gonna get there any faster…"

"No, no, no. Beckett, Beckett, listen. I think we just saw a murder," he said.

"Yeah," I said chiming in.

All was silent and she said, "Okay, we'll go check it out."

* * *

We heard the sirens about fifteen minutes later and watched from across the way as Ryan and Esposito checked it out. Aunt Kate was with us and standing next to me.

"Why aren't they arresting him?" Castle asked.

My aunt just rolled her eyes and walked away from us. A few minutes later Ryan and Esposito came in and told us there was nothing.

"I know what I saw," Castle said.

"It did look pretty real to me," I said, defending Castle.

"Yeah, he took a knife and followed her into the bedroom," he said.

I nodded along to what he said and Ryan said, "I looked in the bedroom. Everything was fine. No blood, no body, I swear."

"Did you look under the bed, in the closet?" he asked.

"Castle, the guy was relaxed and fully cooperative. He let us poke around without a warrant," Ryan said.

"So he probably hid the body. If he was completely calm, he could be a psychopath," Castle said.

"What did he say about the girl?" Aunt Kate asked from where she was sitting at the kitchen isle, drinking a cup of coffee.

"He admitted they had a fight. They broke up and she left," Esposito said.

"Not possible. We would've seen her," Castle said.

"So, you two were watching the whole time?" Esposito asked.

"I… We…" he stuttered and said, "Well, not the entire time, I had to…"

"So she could've left and you guys didn't see?" he asked.

"It's possible, but…" he started.

"Because he called her. Handed me the phone, I spoke to her. She confirmed his story. She was in the car on her way to her mom's house in Philadelphia," Esposito said.

"All right. Thanks, guys," Aunt Kate said as she came up to us.

Ryan and Esposito left and something still didn't feel right about this whole thing.

"I'm not crazy," Castle said.

"Me either," I said.

"No, but you two do have a vivid imagination, and Castle, you've been stuck inside for two weeks. What were you doing looking out the window anyway?" she asked.

"Emily told me to," he said.

"Hey, I did not," I said sitting next to Aunt Kate.

"I was..." he started.

"Bored? So you saw what you wanted to see? Then dragging Emily into this," my aunt said.

I shrunk down next to her and she continued, "When did you take your last painkiller?"

"I was not hallucinating. Emily saw it too," he said.

"Yeah," I said.

"Come on Castle. You're here with a broken leg, binoculars, a ten year old, and seeing a _Rear Window_ scenario play out across the way. I mean, what are the odds?" she asked.

"Astronomical," he said sadly.

"All right, I'm gonna make us some dinner and then get you both to bed," she said.

"Yes dinner," I said happily.

She smiled at me and then placed a kiss on Castle's head. She made us some dinner which I scarfed down in record time and then she got me to bed like she promised. She tried to explain to me that I didn't see anything happen next door, so I told her that I understood, but I still believe what Castle and I saw was 100% real.

* * *

I went down stairs in the early morning hours to see if I could catch something in the window. When I got there, it seemed I wasn't the only person still curious about what we saw. Castle was asleep in his wheelchair, holding his binoculars close to his cheek, snoring away. I chuckled at the sight and Aunt Kate came out in her night clothes and said, "Seriously?"

Castle startled awake and said, "Oh. I can explain."

"Please don't," my aunt said as she walked over to the kitchen.

"Listen, he was pacing back and forth in his apartment, and he kept looking towards the bedroom. Then he slept on the couch. Now, why would you sleep on the couch when you have a perfectly good bed?" Castle asked.

"I could ask you the same question," my aunt said as she poured herself and Castle some coffee.

I took a seat at the kitchen island, watching them talk this out.

"I'll tell you why. Because he had a dead body in there. Ryan and Esposito didn't find it because he hid it," Castle said.

Aunt Kate whipped around, carrying the two cups over to Castle, and said, "Do you realize what you're doing? You're obsessing over this because you have nothing else to obsess about. Why don't you just come with me to the precinct, focus on a real murder instead of wasting your time on an imaginary one?"

"Well, actually, I was thinking about just trying to do some writing today," he said.

"Okay. As long as by writing, you don't mean staring out the window and ogling at your neighbors," Aunt Kate said.

"No. That would be immoral and intrusive," he said as he received a hug from Aunt Kate.

"Yeah, like you've never done that before. That goes for you too, Em," she said.

I rolled my eyes and said, "Yeah I know."

She went to get ready for work and I made myself a bowl of cereal. Castle was looking at the window, and I knew he desperately wanted to continue watching the neighbor across the way. I was eating breakfast and Aunt Kate came out in her work clothes, getting ready to leave.

"Bye you two. Be good, have fun, and no window watching," she said as she gave us each a kiss on the head.

"Okay, bye Aunt Kate," I said.

"Bye," Castle mumbled.

After she left I said, "You're not gonna listen to her, are you?"

"Of course not," he said as he got his binoculars and started looking out the window.

I washed my bowl out and then joined Castle at the window.

"What do you see?" I asked.

"He bought rope and a tarp. What would you need a tarp for?" he said.

"Moving a body," I said.

"Mm-hmm… It's blood!"

"What? Let me see."

"No. You're washing away the… He's washing away the…"

Castle put down the binoculars and grabbed for his phone, dropping it in the process. I picked it up for him, and handed it over. I grabbed the binoculars as he called Aunt Kate and watched the guy across the way, wiping his hands clean.

"She ignored my call," he said, looking at the phone in frustration.

"Do you blame her? She thinks we're nuts. Try again," I said.

"I'll call the precinct," he said.

"Good call."

* * *

Castle got a hold of Aunt Kate and about an hour later she showed up with anger written all over her face.

"This is not an emergency!" she yelled at us.

"I caught him red-handed. Literally red-handed," he said.

"So then it's gotta be blood," she said.

"What else could it be?" he asked.

"Paint," I said.

"Hey, who's side are you on?" he asked

"Mine," I said

"She's right, it could be red paint, tomato juice, beets, red velvet cupcakes," she said.

"He bought a tarp and a rope. He brought them into the bedroom, where I'm betting, right now, he's cutting her into portable pieces. Get a warrant. Search the place before there's no evidence left," he said.

"Esposito spoke to the girl. We know she's alive," she said.

"How do you know it's the same girl? It's possible he paid someone to be his alibi," he said.

"He's got a point," I said.

"Or it's possible something else entirely is going on here," she walked behind Castle and said, "Look, I know that you're lonely and that you miss me. You only have a ten year old for company."

"You make that sound like it's a bad thing," I said.

She sighed with a roll of her eyes and said, "I miss you too. But you don't have to keep making up things to have me come back here."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. You think this is a ploy to get you here?" he asked.

"Look, I don't mean to be…" she started, but was cut off by Castle, "No, I know what you mean, all right? And I know what I saw."

"All right, you know what? I have to get back to the precinct," she said as she walked off.

"Wow. You really don't believe me," he said.

"I'll be back later" she said.

"You know what? Don't worry about it. I'm fine," he said going back to the window.

Aunt Kate looked at him with guilt on her face, she crooked a finger at me and I walked over, "Watch him Em. Don't feed into Castle's theories, okay?"

"Fine," I sighed.

"I'm serious."

"I know."

She patted my head and left for the precinct.

* * *

For the rest of the day, I played on my Nintendo DS, ever so often watching Castle at the window. He was really drawn into what happened next door, and I'm not going to lie, so am I. I really want to watch with him, but maybe Aunt Kate was right, maybe we are seeing too much into this.

It was getting late so I decided to hit the hay.

"Night Castle," I said heading to bed.

"Mmm-hmm, night mini Beckett," he said and yawned a bit.

I laughed silently at him and went up to the guest room I was staying in.

* * *

I woke up about a few hours later and went down to get something to drink. I opened the fridge and got a bottle of water. I walked over to Castle and saw him sleeping. He dropped his binoculars on his leg and groaned out an, "Oh!"

He looked up and saw me starring and yelped. I laughed at him and he looked at his phone, "Emily, it's three in the morning. What are you doing up?"

"I was thirsty," I said showing him the water bottle.

"Oh…" he said as he looked out the window with the binoculars again.

"You're still watching?" I asked.

"Shh…" he said.

"What is it?" I asked, trying to see from afar.

"He's getting rid of the body," he said.

"Seriously!?" I said trying to see.

"Beckett's gonna have to believe me now," he said, putting down the binoculars and picked up a camcorder.

While he tried to record, I grabbed the binoculars and saw the man dragging a tied up carpet out the door.

"Whoa, that doesn't look like he's carrying just carpet," I said still eyeing the man.

He messed with the camcorder trying to get it to work, "Where's the… There we go, here we go."

He started filming and said, "No, no, no!"

"Please tell me you got something," I said.

"What do you think?" he asked.

He closed the camcorder in frustration and looked out the window with anger.

"Welp, I'm going back to bed," I said.

"But you saw that, right?" he asked.

"Well, yeah. But you know Aunt Kate. She's going to have a reasonable explanation about what we saw."

"Yeah, you're right… Goodnight," he sighed.

"Night," I said, heading off to bed once again.

* * *

The next day came around and Alexis was here. Castle explained everything to her and she was on the fence.

"If you thought he was getting rid of the body, why didn't you call Beckett?" she asked.

"Well, she thinks it's all in my head, a by-product of my imagination and pain pills. But mini Beckett saw it too," he said.

I nodded and she said, "It's like that time you were convinced my art teacher was a serial killer?"

I gave Castle a strange look. He shrugged and said, "Come on. He looked just like the guy from _America's Most Wanted_."

"Did you ever stop to think that maybe there's an innocent explanation for everything?" Alexis asked.

"All right, what is an innocent explanation for rolling up a rug and taking it out of your apartment at 3:00 a.m.?" Castle asked.

"Yeah. That is pretty weird," she said, looking out the window.

"Right? And then he didn't come back until 4:30 this morning. Where'd he go?" he asked.

"I don't know, but he's up now," she said.

"What's he doing?" Castle asked with suspicion.

Alexis grabbed the binoculars and said, "Uh… He…"

"What? What do you see" he asked.

We went over to the window, trying to see what she was seeing.

"He's taking off his clothes,' she said with a smile.

"Eww…" I said, shaking my head.

"What? Give me those," Castle said.

"Oh, he's cute," she said.

"Adults are weird," I said.

"All right," he said grabbing the binoculars from his daughter.

"No, I…" she said, protesting her fathers actions.

He gave her a look and said, "Seriously."

Alexis grabbed her own binoculars and went back to the window.

"You shouldn't be watching this," he said.

"Yeah, neither should you," she said.

I tried to see from behind him, but I could barely make out the dude without the binoculars.

"What the…" Castle mumbled.

"That's creepy," Alexis said.

"I can't see," I pouted.

"He's got a mask on and putting on gloves," Alexis said, filling me in.

"Oh," I said.

* * *

We made some popcorn and were eating it by the window.

"It's been two hours. What's he doing in there?" Alexis asked.

"Getting rid of evidence. Blood stains, trace DNA. Pretty soon there's going to be nothing left," Castle said.

"Oh! Here he comes! Here he comes!" she said as she looked through her binoculars.

I perked up and waited to hear what the guy was up to now.

"What's in the bags?" Alexis asked.

"What bags?" I said, trying to see.

"Garbage bags," she said.

"He took the body out in the rug. That could be clothing, bedding. That's her purse!" Castle said.

"If they broke up, no way she left without her purse," she said.

"She did not leave that apartment, at least not alive. And now he's obliterating her identity!" Castle said.

"Wow," I said.

"We need to call Beckett," Alexis said.

"I agree," I said.

"And tell her what? That we saw a man donning gloves and a respirator? For all we know, he was cleaning the bathroom. No. If I'm gonna convince Beckett I'm not crazy, I need proof. Something solid," he said.

Castle got the look of an idea on his face and I knew this was going to get messy.

* * *

Turns out Castle's plan was to break into the guys place. I was all for it, but this could go so many way's. Plus Aunt Kate will be livid with us if she finds out.

"Dad, you can't break into his apartment," Alexis said.

"All the evidence we need is in that shredder. It'll tell us who the victim is. We can prove she's missing," Castle said.

"I kind of agree with him," I said.

"Yeah, but guys… What if he catches you?" she said.

"He won't. Not if I have your help," he said.

"Can I help?" I asked.

"Yeah, sure, you too. Next time he leaves, I'll slip over there. You two keep watch, make sure he's not coming back. I go inside, I get whatever's in the shredder and I get out. Two minutes, tops," he said as he hobbled on his crutches.

"On crutches?" Alexis asked.

"The doctor did say I need more exercise," he said.

"What if I go? I'm smaller, faster and younger," she said.

"Yeah, me too," I said.

"No, no, no. If you get caught, you get a B and E on your record, and you'll never become president. And you mini Beckett, your aunt would kill me," he said.

"Dad…" she said.

"He's getting away with murder. You got a better plan?" he asked as he handed over the walky-talky.

Alexis took it and I wasn't taking no for an answer. I wanted to help too, and it would be so fun sneaking around in another person's apartment. So, I waited a few seconds after he left and snuck out to follow him over to the other apartment building. It didn't take me long to catch up to him since he was on crutches.

When we got there, Castle noticed I was with him and said, "Emily, go back."

"I want to help," I said.

"Argh… fine. Just stay close, be alert, and don't get caught."

"Sir, yes sir."

He rolled his eyes and Alexis said over the walky-talky, "All clear. Over."

We got off the elevator and went to the man's apartment. Castle started to pick the lock and I kept an eye out, making sure the potential killer wasn't coming back. Castle smirked out the window to Alexis once he finished picking the lock and we headed in.

We went straight to the shredder. Castle was going to look in, but then he looked over at the bedroom door.

"No Castle, we only came for the shredded evidence. We'll get caught," I said pulling on his tan coat.

Alexis broke in on the walky-talky, "Dad, no. Just get the stuff and get out of there! Over."

"It'll only take a minute. Over," he said.

"We're doomed," I said.

"Stay here," he said and started hobbling towards the bedroom.

I followed him to make sure he didn't do anything stupider.

"I told you to stay," he said as he reached the door.

"I have your back," I said.

"Fine."

He started opening the door and I was nervous as to what we would find. We went in there and all looked semi-normal. The bed sheets were missing and it looked clean, but a little to clean. He hobbled to the closet and I stayed close. When he opened it, there was paint, a plastic bag, and a bleach bottle.

"Bleach and paint," he said

"He was definitely cleaning something, "I said.

"Yep, definitely. What is he trying to cover up?" he said.

"Blood," I said.

"More than likely."

He went to investigate further and took a look at the wall.

"Bloodstains," he whispered.

"Whoa," I said, peering at the wall from behind him.

"This is it! This is where he killed her! This is why Ryan didn't see any blood! It was all in here!" he said with excitement.

"Sweet," I said.

Castle got a little too excited and next thing I know he's falling backward and I'm still behind him. He groaned and we both toppled to the ground. As we laid on the ground, Alexis chimed in on the walky-talky again, "Dad! Emily! He's coming back!"

I got up and tried to help Castle up to get his crutches.

"Get out of there! Get out now!" she said.

"Come on Castle," I said still trying to help him up.

I was way too small to help him up and it just wasn't working.

"Dad? Dad?" Alexis said.

I knocked over his crutches, and thankfully he was able to stop them from clattering to the floor, so it didn't make a lot of noise.

A phone started ringing and the man we were going after answered it with a, "Yeah?"

This was so not good, we're so doomed. Either we're going to be caught and killed, or caught and thrown in jail. I'm too young to go to jail, but I guess there's still juvie.

"He's coming in! Dad? Dad, he's coming in!" Alexis said.

Castle gave me a silent signal, and we quickly went under the bed. I went under first, then Castle following me with his crutches. We made it just in time because the man entered the bedroom.

"No, I have it handled for now, but I can't leave it there forever… No…" he said as he walked around the room.

Castle put his index fingers to his lips and I kept myself quiet.

"Well, I was thinking Jimmy's boat… While he's at work… He'd never know," the killer said and then went into the bathroom.

We quickly crawled out from under the bed and tried to get out of there as quick as possible. Castle grabbed the shredder and took out the plastic bag. My heart was racing and adrenaline was pumping through my body. This was exciting and scary all at once. Once he grabbed the bag, we bolted to the front door, well I bolted, and he hobbled quickly.

I opened the door and Castle closed it behind him. I was so thankful we weren't caught, but maybe we're one step closer to finding out the truth.

* * *

Castle called Aunt Kate and she came back to his apartment and we told her what we did and found.

"Wait, you did what? And you two helped him?" she said.

Alexis and I nodded at Aunt Kate.

"I did… I… Okay, this is not about what we did. This is about what he did. And check this out," Castle said.

We all went over to the table where Castle was able to reassemble an invoice.

"Now, I wasn't able to reassemble the credit cards, but I found this in the bag," Castle said.

"An invoice from a storage facility. So?" Aunt Kate said.

"Not just any storage facility. This one's open 24 hours," Castle said.

"Yeah, and look what time he rented the space," Alexis said.

"3:43 a.m.," Aunt Kate said,

"Last night at 3:00 a.m., Mini Beckett and I watched him pull a rug out of his apartment," Castle said.

"Wait what were you doing up, Em?" my aunt asked, giving me a stern look.

"I just came downstairs to get a drink of water," I argued.

Her lips went into a thin line and her eyes held a sharp, piercing glare and she said, "Sure."

"Anyway… You know what fits in a rug?" Castle said.

"A body," Alexis and I said together.

Castle snapped his fingers and said, "That's where he's storing her until he can figure out what to do."

"Or the rug belongs to his girlfriend who asked to keep it in storage until she's ready to pick it up," my aunt said matter-of-factly.

Alexis rolled her eyes and walked away.

"All right. Then explain the bleach. The paint. And we overheard him say, "I can't keep it there forever." Castle said.

"Dad, look. Someone's coming," Alexis said as she looked across the way with the binoculars.

Castle hobbled over to Alexis, taking the binoculars, and looked across the street.

"That's him. That's the guy she was having an affair with," Castle said.

"What!?" I said as I ran over to stand with Alexis and Castle.

"He's looking for her. He wants to know where she is," Castle said.

Aunt Kate came over and grabbed the other binoculars.

"If you leave now, you can catch him. You can ask him where she is," Castle said.

"Castle…" My aunt said with annoyance.

"Look, if she's really visiting her mother, wouldn't the guy she's having the affair with, who broke them up, be the first to know?" Castle said.

Aunt Kate gave him a look because she knew he had a point. Aunt Kate went down to talk to the cheater and the three of us watched from the window. Castle took out his binoculars to get a better look at what was happening. Aunt Kate looked up at us after the guy left and I think she was starting to believe us, at least a little.

She came back up and said, "So, his name is Brent Lansky. He and Emily have been taking a class together at Pace. And he's been texting her for the past couple of days, but so far there's been no response."

"What about her parents?" Alexis asked.

"Ryan tracked them down, but they haven't heard from her either," Aunt Kate said.

"So, I'm not a drug-addled crazy," Castle said.

"Look, I know it sounds suspicious, but without a body or a missing person's report, I've got nothing to go on," she said.

"Well, while you're waiting for something to go on, he's already taken most of the evidence away. But luckily, I know what he's gonna…," Castle said and took the invoice from Alexis, "Thank you… With the body in the storage unit."

"You're talking about an illegal search," my aunt said.

"When you do it, it's an illegal search. When I do it, it's just illegal," Castle said.

"Can I come?" I asked.

"No," my aunt said in a stern voice.

"You stay with me Emily," Alexis said.

"Okay," I said.

I wanted to go and help them check out the storage unit. But no… I have to stay here and go through a hundred different scenarios of what could possibly be in that carpet and storage unit.

* * *

A few hours later Aunt Kate dropped Castle off and Alexis left.

"How'd it go?" I asked.

"Don't ask," he sighed.

"That bad."

"Yeah, then we got caught and Gates let me have it."

"Ooh, rough…"

"Tell me about it."

"So, we're back to square one?"

"Yep. But maybe we were wrong."

"You think?"

"Yeah…"

* * *

The next day came around and it was Castles birthday. I couldn't get him anything, but I did give him a cupcake with an unlit candle for lunch. It was night time and my Aunt Kate and Castle were getting ready for dinner. Castle was ready first and wearing a snazzy black suit with a tie that had tiny red polka dots.

Castle looked across the way with his binoculars and said, "Well, I don't say this often, but I'm sorry. Sorry I got you into trouble, sorry I lost my mind."

"You know what, Castle? It's okay. Your overactive imagination has actually brought a lot of people to justice. In fact, it's one of the things I love about you," my aunt said as she came out of his room.

She was dressed to the nines. She had on a pretty, strapless black dress and black heels to match. Her hair was pulled back and she looked absolutely beautiful.

"Wow. And wow. Happy birthday to me! If that's my present, I can't wait to unwrap it," Castle said.

"Eww," I said, making a disgusted face.

They laughed at me and Aunt Kate addressed Castle, "Later. Right now, let's just forget about the murder, go to dinner, celebrate your life, come back and celebrate some more."

"Sounds perfect," he said.

"You look beautiful, Aunt Kate," I said.

"Thank you, Em. You do too," she said.

"I still don't know why I'm wearing this when I'm not going with."

I was wearing a dark purple, sleeved dress, which went to my ankles and paired with my black flats.

"Maybe we'll do something later," she said.

"Okay."

"How do I look?" Castle asked me with a pout.

"You look very handsome, Castle," I smiled.

"Why thank you. You look adorable too, mini Beckett," he said.

"Thanks."

"Okay, so the cars gonna be here in 15 minutes. Would you like a drink from the fridge?" she asked, walking to the fridge.

"The fridge," he said.

My mouth went agape, he hid her body in the fridge. Why didn't we think of that before?

"What?" she asked.

"He just got a soda from the cabinet," Castle said.

"So?" she said.

"So why get it from the cabinet? Why not get it from the fridge? Why not get ice?" he questioned.

"Oh, no," she sighed.

"She's in the refrigerator!" he said.

"Oh, God," Aunt Kate said.

"Those plastic trays in the closet! Those weren't plastic trays. Those were refrigerator shelves," Castle said as he went over to the window.

"Castle…" Aunt Kate said, trying to get through to him.

"I don't know who gates was talking to on the phone, but that was not Emily. Emily is in the fridge," he said.

My aunt went over to Castle and said, "She's not in the apartment. She is not in the fridge. There is no body!"

"Yes, there is," he said as he looked through his binoculars.

"Castle you just apologized to me," she said.

"I rescind the apology. I take it back. She's in the fridge."

"You know what? Let's just go downstairs and wait for the driver there," she said as she tried to pull his wheelchair from the window.

"I am not going anywhere until I see what's in that fridge," he said, standing his ground.

"What? You're gonna stay here and wait for him to open it?" she yelled.

"If that's what it takes."

"Okay, fine."

"Where you going?" he asked as she walked away.

She turned around and said, "Castle, I made plans for you. I dressed up for you. And I'm not gonna let you ruin this night."

"So what are you gonna do?" he asked.

"I am going to go over there and open that bloody fridge, and then you and I are going to dinner and never talking about this again," she said.

"No, don't do it. It's too dangerous," he said.

"Yeah," I said, agreeing with him.

"Not as dangerous as me if you blow my plans," she said.

Her face said it all, she wasn't messing around.

"What if he doesn't let you in?" he asked.

"Look at me. He's gonna let me in," she said as she walked off.

"Not if there's a body in there," he said.

"There's not a body in there!" she argued as she went to the front door.

She left and we were left here to see what she found across the street. We looked out the window with the binoculars and Aunt Kate was going to the man's door. After she knocked on his door, she looked over at us and stuck her tongue out.

The guy opened the door and Aunt Kate was talking to him, trying to get herself into the apartment. She walked in and was talking to the man some more. She went to go to the kitchen and the guy jumped in front of her, trying to deviate her from the room.

"No, no, Beckett," Castle said.

"This isn't good," I said watching.

"No, it's not," he said.

She tried to push past the guy and he grabbed for her. He pulled her by the arm and she looked frightened. She grabbed for the fridge and Castle said, "No."

She barely got the fridge opened before the man grabbed her by the waist, pulling her from it.

"No," Castle and I said together.

The man reached for a knife and Castle said, "Beckett, no!"

"Aunt Kate," I said, watching with horror.

Everything at the apartment went dark and I was completely scared.

"No!" was all Castle managed to say.

Castle called the precinct and we quickly went over to the apartment building. They arrived by the time we got across the street and we tried to head inside the building.

"Where is she?" Esposito asked.

"She's upstairs! She's in the apartment!" Castle said.

"Come on," Esposito said.

"Wait for me!" Castle said.

"And me," I said, following after.

"NYPD! Open up! Open up now!" Ryan and Esposito yelled as Ryan banged on the door.

Ryan tried to bang open the door with his shoulder, but it barely budged.

"Kick it. Yeah!" Castle said.

"Kick it! Kick it! Kick it!" Ryan said.

Esposito busted down the door and they went in with guns drawn.

"Beckett!" Ryan and Esposito yelled.

"Beckett! Beckett, you there?" Castle yelled.

It was still pitch black and you could barely see a thing.

"Beckett! Beckett!" Castle called out.

"Aunt Kate!" I called out.

"Beckett, where are you?" Castle said.

The lights turned on and everyone was there saying, "Surprise!"

There were black and white balloons, a cake, and a black banner that had the words, "Happy Birthday Castle," in white lettering.

I think it was a surprise for the both of us, we so weren't expecting this scenario. They were all applauding and cheering, surprising him for his birthday.

"Happy birthday!" Aunt Kate said with a big smile.

The two men were there, the cheater and the husband, and they looked really chummy. Then the dead girl came out from the bedroom and was very much alive.

"It was all fake? Nothing was real. You…" Castle said glumly.

Everyone's face fell slightly and he continued, "You let me think I was crazy? You let me think you were gonna die!"

Aunt Kate walked over and said, "Yeah, but, Castle, you were so bored over the past couple of weeks, stuck at home with no case to solve, and I saw this apartment was for rent, and I… I thought that I…"

"Richard…" his mother said as she came over.

"No. No. This is, without a doubt, the greatest birthday gift of my life!" Castle said with excitement.

Aunt Kate smiled and everyone was cheering.

"How did you do it?" he asked.

"Well… I did have a lot of help," Aunt Kate said.

"Yes. You did, indeed," Mrs. Rodgers said.

"You were all in on it?" he asked.

"Mmm-hmm. Michael, Brent, Emily, my brilliant acting students. I, of course, was the director," Mrs. Rodgers said.

"And the boys?" he questioned.

"Yep," Esposito said with a tight nod.

"Oh, yeah, they were great. Except you didn't have to kick down the door," Aunt Kate said.

"I was in the moment," Esposito said.

"We wanted to be convincing," Ryan said

"Alexis, you, too?" Castle asked.

"It's why I bought you the binoculars," she said.

"Even Captain Gates?" he asked.

"Yeah, she jumped at the chance to dress you down for any reason," Ryan said.

"Where is Captain Gates?" he asked.

"She couldn't make it," Esposito said.

"Good. How about you mini Beckett?" he asked.

"No. I was duped too," I said sadly.

"I'm sorry, Em. You know I couldn't tell you," she said.

I looked away from her and she said, "Em… Please…"

I looked up at her slowly with a sideways smile and said, "I'm just messing with you. It was pretty awesome."

She rolled her eyes with a smile and hugged me to her.

"Wow," was all Castle said.

They kissed patiently and Esposito said, "All right!"

I left the two love birds alone and went to mingle with everyone. I'm not that mad that Aunt Kate didn't fill me in, I understand why they didn't, but it still felt awkward to be out of the loop. At least I was with Castle during this whole crazy ride.

The party was a blast and I liked the way Aunt Kate threw this together for him. I wonder what she has in store for my birthday.


	39. Chapter 39

AN: Thank's to everyone for following, favouring, and reviewing this story. Here's the next chapter everybody, enjoy. Don't forget to Review. :)

Disclaimer: I do not own Castle or it's characters.

* * *

Murder She Wrote

Things have been strange lately, I've been having these bizarre dreams at night. It started happening two days ago and I have no clue why I've been dreaming about them. Maybe I've been watching too many cop dramas and hanging out at the precinct. I read online that I should write these dreams down, so that's what I've been doing. I've been writing my dreams down each day after I wake up, and try to put in as much detail as I possibly can.

Today was the same thing, I woke up from an extremely crazy nightmare, and took out my note pad and started jotting it down.

 _April 25_ _th_ _, 2013,_

 _It was dark and I couldn't see anything, but I could hear a lady screaming. It must have been a big place because I could hear the scream echo off the walls. I heard someone else chasing after the lady, they were panting heavily and seemed determine. They must have caught up to the person because a man's voice came into focus, "Don't run, Diana."_

" _How do you know my name?" the lady stuttered out._

" _Believe me I know a lot more than you think," he said._

" _Please, just leave me alone. Please…"_

 _There was a maniacal laugh and then he said, "Oh don't be stupid… There is nothing you can say to stop my plans."_

 _The next thing I heard was a gurgling sound and I figured he gave her a Columbian necktie._

 _He huffed out a loud sigh and that's then everything went silent._

That's all that I could recall from that horrifying nightmare, but it sounded so real. Since it was early in the morning, I decided to just eat some cereal because I know I won't be able to sleep anymore. I went out to the kitchen and poured myself a bowl of cereal. As I ate, I ran through my dream once again. Even though there was barely anything visual throughout the dream, the sound was clear and frightening.

"Em, what are you doing up so early?" my aunt asked with a small yawn.

"Couldn't get back to sleep, so I decided to just get some breakfast. Start my day," I said with a shrug.

She poured herself some coffee and said, "You're not having sleeping problems again, are you?"

"No, I promise I'm fine. Just one of those mornings.

"You're too young to have one of those mornings."

"I guess so," I smiled.

She chuckled and said, "Do you want to hang with me today?"

"Sure sounds like fun."

"Okay."

Just then her phone started to ring and she answered it, "Beckett… Yeah, I'll be right down. See you soon…"

She hung up and I asked, "Do we have a case?"

"Yep, so hurry up and get dressed," she said as she walked off to get ready.

I put my bowl in the sink and ran to my room to get dressed.

* * *

We arrived at a warehouse looking building and it was huge and badly rusted. Castle arrived when we did and he said, "Good morning my two Beckett's."

"Morning, Castle," we said.

We walked into the warehouse and a lady in her mid-twenties was laying on the dirty warehouse floor with her throat slit open. Dried blood was covering must of her neck and chest region. Then it hit me this, looked almost like what I heard in my dreams last night. I kept my cool though because it could just be a very strange coincidence that she died the same way.

"Wow, someone really didn't like her," Castle said.

The words bounced off the walls with ease and he said, "Cool an echo… Echo…"

"Castle," my aunt said.

"It's fun," he shrugged.

"Lanie what do we have?" my aunt asked Lanie who was examining the body.

"Young girl, twenty-five. All she had on her was her photo I'd and keys," she said handing over the girls belongings.

"Diana Miller, lied a few blocks from here. I'll let Ryan and Esposito check out her place," my aunt said.

"Diana…" I said, my head spinning with all the similar details of my dream.

All eyes went to me and Castle asked, "Did you know her?"

"No… but last night I had a dream," I said.

"Spooky," Castle said with wonderment.

"It was just a coincidence, Em," my aunt said, trying to play it off.

"I thought so at first to, but everything I wrote down was clear. It pretty depicts everything from my dream perfectly," I said.

"Wrote down?" my aunt asked.

"I've been writing all these strange dreams in a notepad lately. I have it in my backpack, in the car," I said.

"Hey, this would be so cool if she really did write this down. It's like she has premonitions or something of that nature," Castle said with a grin on his face.

"She doesn't have any supernatural like powers, Castle. It's going to be a complete coincidence if it's similar. Lanie let me know if you get anything else," Aunt Kate said.

"I will," Lanie said.

* * *

We arrived at the precinct and my aunt was flipping through my notebook at her desk. Castle was watching her with glee, he really wanted this to be something out of this world. That's Castle for you, but I agree, it would be pretty sweet. My aunt finished all three entries and asked, "Emily, where did you hear all these?"

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"The other two cases are both cases we've been working on for the past few days. How do you know?" she asked.

"I don't know?" I shrugged.

"I knew it. She's psychic, this is awesome. This will be great for a new Nikki Heat Novel," Castle said with excitement.

"Castle, she isn't psychic. Where did you hear it?" she asked.

"I had a dream and I saw it. Well actually, I heard it more than saw it. Everything's always dark, but the sound seems to be very clear," I said.

"You must have heard it somewhere you couldn't have possibly just dreamed a very real murder up," she said.

"Well, it does explain the other two, but what about the one today. She couldn't have possibly knew about it before you guys did," Castle said, trying to help us get to the bottom of this.

"Yeah, I know. I think it's still a weird coincidence. She could have just heard something similar and conjured up something extremely close to our real murders," she said.

She handed my notebook back and walked off to go talk to Ryan and Esposito who just came into the precinct.

"Do you think this is some weird coincidence, Castle?" I asked him.

"No, I think this is really something. It might not be premonitions and psychic abilities but it's definitely something. Don't worry mini Beckett I'm sure we'll get to the bottom of this, but in the meantime, what's the winning numbers going to be for the Powerball?" Castle asked.

I rolled my eyes with a laugh.

"Come on, that would be awesome."

"What would be awesome?" Esposito asked as he and Ryan came over to us with Aunt Kate in toe.

"She's been dreaming about the recent murders before they happen, so I was seeing if she can conjure up some winning numbers," Castle said.

"Wow, that's some weird stuff," Esposito said.

"Yeah, but it would be really cool to get some winning numbers Jenny and I can use some more money," Ryan said.

"Yeah, me too. I have no clue what I'd do with it," Esposito said.

"Well, you three won't be getting any numbers from her. She does not have ESP or any psychic powers," she said.

"We don't know that for sure," Castle said.

"Yes we do. Now we have cases to solve, which all seem to link together. Ryan and Esposito, find out what you can about where Diana took the subway yesterday. Castle, you're coming with me to see her boyfriend and I'm dropping Em at home," she said.

We all nodded and we broke off to do as she said.

* * *

I was at home and getting ready for bed. Maybe these dreams really have been weird coincidences and I'm kind of making these realistic dilemmas up. I went to sleep and the next thing I'm tossing and turning, having another chilling nightmare that I could only hear. I woke up with a fright and had sunlight shining in my eyes. I looked at the clock and it was around eight in the morning. I wrote everything down in my notebook and then I went out to the living room, rubbing away the sleep in my eyes. Aunt Kate was sitting on the couch, looking through some files, which I presumed was for the cases that happened.

"Morning, Aunt Kate," I said.

"Morning, Em. Did you have a better sleep last night?" she asked.

"Well… actually I had another dream."

"Another murder?"

"Yeah," I said as I took a seat next to her.

"Well we haven't gotten anything since Diana, so maybe it's a coincidence like I said," she said to me.

"I guess."

"What was it about?"

"This guy, I think it was a park because I heard squeaking chains, which sounded like a swing and wind, signaling it was outside," I said.

"Uh-huh… is that it?"

"No, I heard the guy tell the man that he didn't know what he wanted. He said he had no money. Then the killer said that he had no intention of robbing him. He just wanted Louis to pay for his actions. Then a gun shot. That's when I woke up."

"That's extremely vivid. Are you sure you're okay Em?"

"Positive, I just wish I knew why I've been having these dreams."

"Yeah me too. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad if you go see Dr. Lasseter."

"Do I have too?"

"No, but if this persists, a visit might not be that bad."

"Yeah, I guess that's true."

My aunt's phone buzzed and she picked it up, "Yeah, I'll be right there."

She hung up and looked at me with seriousness, "There's been a murder in the park."

* * *

We were at the park and our victim was shot in the chest. Lanie gave us a brief description on the guy and what she found on him. Turns out his name was Louis, just like in my dream. Things were looking fishy and I have no clue why I've been dreaming up these real scenarios. Lanie left and we stayed, checking out the scene before us.

"So, she had another dream depicting this murder?" Castle asked amazement on his face.

"Yes," Aunt Kate said.

"Do you still think it's a coincidence?" he asked.

"I'm not so sure anymore," she said.

"There has to be something going on," Castle said inquisitively.

"What, no more theories on psychic powers?" my aunt asked with a small smirk.

"Well, that is definitely my top theory, but why now. What's your sleeping habits like mini Beckett?" Castle asked me.

"I don't know, normal. I just listen to my iPod and fall asleep," I said.

"Hmm… Seems normal," Castle said.

"Yeah it does. What are you listening to on your iPod, Em?" Aunt Kate asked.

"Just my music," I said.

She nodded and said, "Maybe we should watch you sleep."

"It could get to the bottom of things," Castle said with a shrug.

"Yeah. Are you okay with that Em?" my aunt asked.

"If it gets to the bottom of things, then I'm all for it," I said.

"Okay," she said.

* * *

We went to the precinct and we filled Captain Gates in on the situation. She wasn't too happy that Aunt Kate shrugged it off, but she's glad that they might be getting closer to solving these murders that are terrorizing New York. So, we gathered a team and went to Aunt Kate's apartment. Castle and Aunt Kate were going to stay in my bedroom, watching me sleep, while Esposito and Ryan were going to stay out front in case anything suspicious happens.

I got ready for bed and laid down to go to sleep. I grabbed my iPod and put on the playlist I usually listen to when I go to sleep.

"Are you ready to do this Em?" my aunt asked.

"Yeah, I think so," I said.

"Okay once anything seems out of the ordinary we'll wake you," she said.

"All right," I said.

"Night mini Beckett. Good luck," Castle said.

"Thanks," I said.

"Night Em," Aunt Kate said.

"Night," I said.

I tried to fall asleep, but I could feel their eyes on me. It was kind of awkward and unnerving, even with my rock music blasting softly in my ears.

"Guys, I can't sleep," I said.

"Why?" my aunt asked.

"I can feel you watching me," I said.

"We can turn away if you'd like. Stand by the door," she said.

"Yeah, that would be cool."

They did as I said, even though I could faintly see them with outside lights shining through my window. Once I felt a little more relaxed, I closed my eyes and started falling into a peaceful sleep.

* * *

I don't know how long I was out, but I felt someone shaking me awake. I bolted straight up and my aunt's face was illuminated by my bedside lamp. I heard a voice coming through my earbuds and it definitely wasn't my music.

"Em, what's going on you were tossing and turning. Were you dreaming?' she asked.

"Listen," I said handing over my iPod.

She took it and put one of the earbuds into her ear. She listened closely and she had a stark look on her face.

"What is it?" Castle asked by her side.

"It's the killer and he's murdering again," she said.

* * *

We were all down at the precinct trying got get answers. My iPod was pretty much the main evidence in all these murders. Who would have thought that my iPod would be in the center of an investigation?

"So you're saying that Emily's iPod has been picking up the murders from the past week," Captain Gates said.

"Yes sir, it seems to have picked up some type of transmissions somehow," Aunt Kate said.

"Did you have the IT guy look at it?" she asked.

"I did sir, he's going through it right now. He doesn't know if he'll be able to locate the signal, but if he does, we could catch our killer," Aunt Kate said.

"Okay, keep me posted. If any calls come in for this new murder, have Detective Esposito and Ryan check into it. I want you here if the IT guy finishes with her iPod," she said.

"Yes sir."

Captain Gates went to her office and we all waited around the desks. Just a few minutes later, the phones started to ring and people were reporting suspicious activity in their area. Esposito and Ryan left soon after the calls came in, while aunt Kate, Castle, and I stayed put. Aunt Kate's phone started to ring and she answered, "Detective Beckett."

There was a slight pause before she said, "Thanks."

"What did he say?" Castle asked once she hung up the phone.

"He got a hit off of the other transmitter. Turns out it was a cell phone and he was able to locate the owner of the device. His name is Franklin Guard. He's 24 and lives a few miles from here. He could be the killer," Aunt Kate said.

"I hope he is. I just want this over with," I said.

"Yeah me too. Em, you stay here. Castle and I are going to go bring in Mr. Guard," she said.

"Okay, be careful," I said.

"We will," she said and planted a short kiss to my head.

* * *

About an hour or so later, Aunt Kate was hauling in who I assumed was Franklin Guard. He looked kind of dorky looking and didn't have the physicality of a killer. Looks can be deceiving though. I decided to watch from the observation room.

"Franklin Guard, do you know these people?" my aunt asked as she placed photos on the table.

"Nah, never seen them," he said, pushing a few of the pics away.

"Come on Mr. Guard, we have a lot of evidence on you that you were at the same place at the time these people were murdered," she said.

"Look, I don't know what you got on me, but I didn't kill those people," he said getting irritated.

"Looks like you're getting a little irritated there Franklin. Something you're not telling us?' Castle questioned.

The kid rolled his eyes and fiddled with his black glasses on his face. He looked between them and said, "You don't understand."

"You killed five people, Franklin. I think I'd like to understand," my aunt said.

"I'm in my last year at NYU. I was going to transfer somewhere, so I can get my masters in computer science. I thought I was done with all this high school drama, but a few weeks ago, I was picked on by those five people. One was my professor, and you'd think he'd be nice to me, but know he laughed right along with them," Franklin said.

"What about the rest of the class?" Castle asked.

"It was just me and them. We stayed after class to get some extra work in. I stayed behind to chat with the professor and help tutor a few of my classmates. I made a remark and one of the guys, J.D., got offended. Next thing I know I'm pinned against the desk and no one seems to care. Then the next couple of days they just kept picking on me. I had enough and was tired of their antics," he said.

"So you killed them," my aunt said.

"Yeah, and the sad part is, some of them didn't even know who I was when they were begging for they're life. They went out of their way to pick on me and they didn't even know my frigging name," he said.

"How did you know where'd they be?" Castle asked.

"It was easy, they leave their phones in the most open spaces, and I got a few codes, then hacked into their phone system with ease. I got some tracking information and hunted them down," Franklin said with a shrug.

"That's how it picked up the signals," Castle mumbled.

"What?" Franklin asked.

"Don't mind him. If it wasn't for technology, you could have gotten away with this Mr. Guard. Good luck in prison, you're going to need it," Aunt Kate said.

I met them out at Aunt Kate's desk and I said, "I'm glad that's all over. I don't think I'll be listening to my iPod when I sleep anymore."

Aunt Kate smiled and said, "Yeah me too. Now you can get some good night's sleep. Maybe I'll get you a new iPod, after that experience."

"Not for a while. It'll be weird," I said.

They chuckled and we headed home, so I could finally get some sleep.

* * *

A few days went bye and it was Wednesday. That night we were sitting on the couch, watching TV and Castle said, "Hey, just for kicks. Give me your numbers for the Powerball, mini Beckett."

"Seriously, Castle," Aunt Kate said from beside me.

"Come on, it's just a little fun. Maybe she's special," he said.

She rolled her eyes and I said, "Okay, let's see if I have some psychic abilities."

"Cool, here write them on this," Castle said, handing me a notepad and pencil.

I wrote down the numbers: 13 56 42 8 12 Powerball 10

"Hmm… interesting numbers," Castle said looking at them.

"Her odds are one in 292 million. She'll be lucky if she hits just one number," Aunt Kate said.

He shrugged and said, "Well maybe she's that lucky one. Man, I wish I played," he said.

"Don't you have enough money?" My aunt asked.

"Well yeah, but think about everything you could do with that amount of money," Castle said.

"All I can think about is all of the people I haven't seen in years, trying to come and get some of my winnings," Aunt Kate said.

"Yeah, I guess that's is one of the downsides," he said.

The power ball started coming on and Castle got excited, turning his television up a little louder.

"Good evening everyone. Today is Wednesday and here are your winning Powerball numbers, 13 56 42 8 12 and the Powerball number is 10. Good luck to you all," the announcer said and then a commercial came on.

Castles mouth was agape and Aunt Kate just quirked an eyebrow at me. I just shrugged and said, "Lucky guess."

Castle groaned and flopped into the couch, while Aunt Kate and I laughed at him until we all went to bed. Maybe I'm just extremely lucky or maybe I do have some kind of psychic abilities.


	40. Chapter 40

AN: It's only been ten days since I've posted, but it feels so much longer. I was on a cruise this weekend with my other favorite show the Walking Dead. I also been working on a novel that I want to publish someday. Thank's to everyone for following, favouring, and reviewing this story. Here's the next chapter everybody, enjoy. Don't forget to Review. :)

Disclaimer: I do not own Castle or it's characters.

* * *

Say Uncle

Things have been going smoothly lately. I'll be eleven in just a couple of weeks and my aunt's and Castle's relationship have been pretty stable. There was a small little squabble going on between them when my aunt had to look after some billionaire named, Eric Vaughn.

He was kind of a creep, but he looked like he could be a comic book character. Maybe Johnny Storm, The Human Torch, or maybe Reed Richards, Mister Fantastic. He'd probably be Mister Fantastic, he seems like that kind of guy who can stretch to unbelievable proportions and super smart. After that, things have been going honestly well. No incidences have been happening and everything's been safe.

Well maybe not exactly safe, we did have a slight scare a few weeks ago when my aunt stepped on a pressure-plate bomb. That was a scary day for all of us, but thankfully Castle and Aunt Kate were able to figure out the code to disarm the bomb and my aunt was safe and sound.

Today I was hanging out with Castle. I don't know why he asked me to hang with him to day, but I figured it was so we could do some bonding. I don't know how much bonding we could do, I already feel super close to him. But it doesn't hurt to get even closer to my favorite friend.

"So mini Beckett, do you want to get some lunch with me?" Castle asked.

"Sure, I'm hungry," I said.

"Okay, I know this small little café where we can sit outside."

"Sounds like fun."

"All right, let's go."

We headed to the small café where they had a few tables outside and some inside. We ordered a small lunch which consisted of a sandwich and chips. We sat outside with our food and started digging into the delicious lunch. Half way through our lunch Castle stopped and was fiddling with his napkin.

I watched him with confusion and wondered what was wrong with him. Truth is, he's been acting kind of strange all day. He wasn't his funny and weird self. He was kind of quiet and stayed a little distant from me.

"What's wrong Castle?" I asked.

"I brought you out with me for a reason. I just can't seem to get to the point," he said, looking serious.

"I don't think I've ever seen you this serious."

"Yeah, it's definitely something I don't do often."

"Is something wrong?"

"No, its fine. It's not bad news, I promise."

I put on a small smile and said, "That's a relief."

He put on a small smile too and said, "When I ask you this, I want you to answer with what you really think. I don't want you to think about anyone else but yourself. Okay?"

"Okay… so, what is it?"

"You can't tell you Aunt Kate. This is between you and me."

"I won't. I can keep a secret."

"I hope so…"

"Come on Castle. I want to know."

"Okay, how would you feel if I asked your aunt to marry me?"

My eyebrows shot up as soon as the sentence left his mouth. He wanted to ask my aunt to marry him. I was so happy that he was thinking about marrying my aunt, but at the same time, I'm shocked to the core. I couldn't speak, so many emotions were running through my head.

"The silence isn't helping me mini Beckett."

"Sorry, Castle. I'm just really surprised that you want to ask my aunt to marry you."

"It's okay, it's a lot to process."

"I want you to marry my aunt. I always wanted you guys to get together and now that you are, it would be great to see you two get married."

"Really? You mean that."

"Of course I mean that. You're like my best friend Castle. You're even more than that, like a father figure. It would be an honor for you to marry Aunt Kate."

"Thanks mini Beckett. I appreciate that. I just hope Kate feels the same way."

"Yeah me too. I know she loves you, Castle. I don't think she'd be stupid enough to turn you down."

He chuckled and said, "I hope you're right. I also have another question for you."

"Sure, what's the question?"

"I was wondering if you'd help me choose the ring."

"You want me to help you find an engagement ring for Aunt Kate?"

"Yeah, would you like to do that?"

"I'd love too. This is so awesome Castle."

"Yeah it is. I'm glad you're excited about this."

"Did you think I wouldn't be?"

"Kind of… There was a lot of different ways I thought this talk would go. I'm just glad it was the good one."

"Don't worry Castle. I love you a lot and I want you to be my uncle."

"Thank you Emily."

"You're welcome. Speaking of possibly being my uncle, can I call you Uncle Rick, or Uncle Richard, or maybe Uncle Castle?"

"I think you could call me Uncle Rick. It has a good flow to it, but we have to wait and see if your aunt says yes."

"True. I hope so, that would be so awesome."

"It would. Come on, let's go to the store I picked out and find ourselves an engagement ring."

"I'm right behind you."

We headed to the jewelry store that Castle picked out and it was called, Julia's Fine Jewels. It was kind of large and the inside was beautiful. Especially the way the different jewelry shined in their display cases. It made the whole place look sparkly and bright.

"Wow, this place is really cool," I said, looking around.

"Yeah, and kind of expensive," he said, looking awkwardly at the prices.

"What do you expect Castle? It's a jewelry store in New York City and you're looking for an engagement ring."

"You sound like your aunt."

"I have to stop doing that."

"It's cute. You really are a mini Beckett."

"Did I hear you were looking for an engagement ring sir?" a woman, who was slightly older than Castle, asked.

"Yes, ma'am. I am," he said.

"I have a whole display right here. What price range are you looking for?"

"Um... I'm not real sure."

"He can afford anything. He's a writer, he makes a decent amount of money for his novels," I said.

Castle threw a hand over my mouth and said, "No, I have a slight budget that I'm trying to maintain, but nothing to cheap."

"Okay, sir. Here are some reasonably priced rings, which should be around your price range. I'm going to go help another customer while you decide," she said.

She left us at the display case and Castle let go of my mouth.

"What was that for?" I asked.

"You can't just tell the sales lady that I have a high income. She'll try to sell me a very expensive ring that I don't need," he said.

"Well what do we want?"

"Something not too expensive and simple. You know your aunt, she doesn't care for all that girly stuff. She's simple and down to earth."

"You're right. She'd want something genuine and simple."

"Exactly, so help me find it."

"Okay."

We looked at the section of rings that she pointed out to us. Some of them were huge and flashy, while some were small and simple. There was about a hundred rings in just that section alone. It was hard trying to find the right one. I knew my aunt would probably like whatever Castle gets her, but it'll still be nice if it's the perfect match for her.

We continued looking and I looked on one side while Castle looked at the other. I was almost giving up on the search, until my eye caught one pretty ring in the corner of the case. It was the definition of simple, but even though it was simple, the ring was still beautiful. It was a thin gold band and a medium sized diamond.

"Castle, look at this one," I said.

I pointed it out and he said, "That's a nice one."

"Yeah it is. I think Aunt Kate would like it."

"Yeah me too. Are you sure this is the one mini Beckett?"

"Yes, I'm positive. I think fate led me to that ring because I almost gave up hope."

"Well, okay. That ring shall be the ring I give to Kate."

"Yay…"

The lady from earlier came back and asked, "Have you found what you were looking for?"

"I think so. Can we take a look at that ring for one thousand two hundred dollars?" Castle asked.

"Sure."

She got it out of the case and Castle and I looked at it.

"Are you sure mini Beckett?"

"I'm positive, Castle. I think it's great."

"Okay then. We'll take it," he said to the sales lady.

"Okay, I'll put this in a box for you," she said and she headed to the back of the store.

She came back a few seconds later with a pretty dark blue ring box. Castle handed over his credit card and paid for the engagement ring. We left the jewelry store and headed back to my aunts apartment.

"Castle?" I asked.

"Yeah, mini Beckett?"

"When are you going to pop the question?"

"I'm not really sure yet. This was a big step just getting the ring and asking your blessings."

"I understand. No pressure Castle. I just can't wait."

He smiled softly and said, "Yeah, me either. I just hope it turns out all right."

"I'm sure it will. You guys are Caskett. You'll be together, always."

"I hope we will."

"I know you will."

"Thanks, mini Beckett," he said as he pulled me into his side.

I looked up at him and said, "No problem Castle. This is exciting and nerve-wracking for the both of us."

"I guess it is."

We continued on in silence and when we got closer to the apartment Castle spoke up again, "You know you can't say anything mini Beckett."

"I know. This is a secret, a big secret."

"Yes, please keep this between you and me. I know you can do it, but I'm really serious about this."

"I know."

"Good, I'm glad."

He brought me to aunt Kates and we knocked on the door. Aunt Kate opened the door and smiled at the two of us.

"Did you two have fun?" she asked.

"Yeah, it was great. Castle's the best to hang out with," I said.

"I'm glad. Thanks for spending time with her."

"No problem. I love hanging out with mini Beckett. She makes me happy when we hang out and bond. It's something I don't do much with Alexis any more, now that she's in college," he said.

"I understand, I'm glad you can have that with Em."

"Me too."

"I'll see you later, Castle."

"See you later, Kate."

They gave a short kiss to each other and Castle waved goodbye before he left and Aunt Kate closed the door behind him.

"So you had a good time?" she asked me.

"Yep, it was great."

"What did you do?"

"We just hung out and had some lunch at a café."

"Sounds like fun. I'm glad you two get along so well."

"Me too. He's like the dad I never had."

"Yeah, I'm glad you get to have a father figure in your life."

"Me too."

"Em, I kind of have to talk to you."

Another conversation. It felt like all the adults in my life were just dumping information on me. I didn't mind the deep conversations with them, but it's kind of weird. Aunt Kate guided me over to the couch and we took a seat.

"Okay, I need you to keep a secret for me. I also need to have your opinion on this too," she said.

"On what?"

"I'll tell you, but I need you to promise to keep this between us, okay?"

"Yeah, I promise."

"Well, I've been offered a job in Washington DC to work for the FBI. It's a great opportunity, but I don't know if I should take it."

"In Washington DC!? We'd have to move and everything. What about Castle?"

"I know, this is a hard decision, but this job is great."

"I don't want you to take it. I like it here and the twelfth precinct."

"I know Em, but this will be a wonderful opportunity."

"I know I can't persuade you to not take the job, but I don't want to leave New York, or Castle, or the twelfth precinct. This is my home."

"I know it's mine too. I'm still weighing out my options, but I think I want to take it."

"This sucks," I said standing up.

"Em, come on. It could be fun."

"It's not fair. I think it's stupid."

I started walking away to my room and Aunt Kate said, "Emily, come back here."

"No," I said and slammed the door behind me.

I locked it and hopped into my bed. I had hot tears running down my face and on to my pillow. She couldn't take the job, Castle wants to propose to her. It would be crazy to have a long distance relationship with each other. This job also sucked because I'd have to move with her to Washington DC. I just found a school I liked and had friends. I didn't want to go through that process again.

Just when things started to look up, something had to ruin it. I just hope things work out for the best.


	41. Chapter 41

AN: Thank's to everyone for following, favouring, and reviewing this story. Here's the next chapter everybody, enjoy. Don't forget to Review. :)

Disclaimer: I do not own Castle or it's characters.

* * *

We're Moving!?

Things have been kind of topsy-turvy for the past couple of days. Aunt Kate was thinking about taking the job in DC and Castle was upset that she didn't tell him about the interview she had. Turns out she actually got the job and now she's all jumbled up inside.

She really wants this job because it's the best opportunity she can get, but at the same time she loves Castle and doesn't want to break up with him. Honestly, I really don't want Aunt Kate to take the job in DC, not just because I don't want to move to a whole new city, but I don't want her and Castle to split.

I was laying in Aunt Kate's apartment, on her sofa, and thinking about what I should do. Maybe I should lock myself in my bedroom and never come out, so aunt Kate will have to stay here. She'll probably just break my door down and ground me, but I'm okay with that. I just want to stay in New York, this is my home, my city, my life.

As I was laying on the couch, the front door opened and I didn't budge from the spot I was at. I just continued to stare at the ceiling and ignored my aunt. I saw my aunts face obstruct my view of the ceiling and I gave her the heartiest glare I could muster. She rolled her eyes and said, "Emily, you can keep giving me the silent treatment, but you have to talk to me eventually."

I just let out a huff and went to look somewhere else, but something shiny caught my eye. I looked at my aunt's finger and I literally jumped up and stood on the sofa. I grabbed my aunt's hand and pulled it towards me. The ring Castle and I picked out just a few days ago, adorned her finger beautifully.

"He did it! He Proposed! This is awesome! I can't believe you said yes," I said with copious amounts of joy.

"Wait, why would you think I'd say no? And you knew?" she asked.

I shrugged and said, "I just thought with the new job offer you'd turn Castle down. And yes, I did know, I helped pick out the ring."

"Well, it's beautiful. About the job though…"

"You're not going to take it?" I asked with a smile.

"Em, I'm going to take this job."

My face fell and I said, "Oh…"

"Hey, it's going to be fun. You finish up the rest of the school year and then this whole summer you'll be in DC with me."

"I don't want to go Aunt Kate."

"Em, I'm going to DC whether you like it or not. I can't just leave you here."

"Let me stay with Castle."

My aunt froze and said, "I don't know, Em. I don't want to place you in Castle's care. Who knows what the two of you will get into?"

"Come on. He's practically my uncle. Please Aunt Kate… Let me stay here."

She dropped her shoulders, thinking about what I was asking her. She looked at me and said, "Okay, I'll let you stay with Castle, but if one thing happens, you're coming to stay with me immediately."

"That's fair. Thank you, Aunt Kate," I said as I threw my arms around her.

She hugged me tight and said, "Yeah, I know. It's still not official yet though. I have to ask Castle if he'd take you in."

"Castle loves me. I don't think he'd hesitate to keep me."

She chuckled and said, "Yeah, I guess he'd be excited to have you."

"So, you're really going to marry Castle?"

"Yep, eventually. You're okay with this, right?"

"Of course I am. I've been wanting this forever."

"I'm glad you feel that way."

I gave her another hug and said, "I love you Aunt Kate."

"I love you too, Em."

* * *

About a week after my aunt became engaged with Castle she was getting ready to leave for DC. Before we started with packing some of her stuff, we started packing my stuff. Castle agreed to take me in, and he was extremely happy to have a kid in his house again. I got the extra bedroom in the house and now it almost looks like my own room.

I moved most of the stuff I had in my room at Aunt Kate's house, and it looked homier by the second. Castle was bringing in one of the boxes I brought and he said, "Geez, mini Beckett… What do you have in here?"

"I think that's the box with my wolf statue," I said.

"A wolf statue!? Where'd you get a wolf statue!?"

"Aunt Kate bought it for me for my birthday next week. Since she's not going to be able to celebrate it with me because she has to start her new job."

He put the box down softly and said, "Huh well that's cool, but man that things heavy."

"Yeah, but it's awesome."

I took the statue out of the box and showed it to Castle.

"Wow that is pretty cool."

"I know right. It looks so realistic," I said as I placed it on my new dresser.

"So, I think that's the last of the boxes."

"Yeah. I can't believe I'm going to be living with you Castle."

"I know, me either. It's really cool."

"Yeah, but I'm going to miss, Aunt Kate."

"Yeah, I know. I'm going to miss her too."

"Hey, guys. You forgot this, Em" my aunt said, handing me my backpack.

"Thanks Aunt Kate," I said.

"Why do you look so sad? I thought you wanted to move in with Castle."

"Yeah this is great, but it's going to be weird not having you around."

"Aww, Em. I know it's going to be tough, but you can always visit me, or I'll visit you. We're also just a phone call away."

"I know. It's still hard."

"Yeah, I know. If you ever need to talk to me. Just give me a call, okay?"

"I will."

"Okay, you two are making me all depressed. Why don't we go out to dinner, just the three of us?" Castle said.

We agreed with Castle and went out to a nice restaurant for our last meal together. It was going to be hard without Aunt Kate here, but I know Castle, Mrs. Rodgers, and Alexis will be here for me. I also know that the twelfth precinct will be here for me too. And like Aunt Kate said, she's just a phone call away.


	42. Chapter 42

AN: Thank's to everyone for following, favouring, and reviewing this story. Here's the next chapter everybody, enjoy. Don't forget to Review. :)

Disclaimer: I do not own Castle or it's characters.

* * *

A Little Bit of Fun

It's been about a week since aunt Kate left for DC. She tries to call me every day, mostly to make sure I'm not getting into any trouble, or Castle either. Castle was going o go on his book tour soon, so I was going to be staying with Mrs. Rodgers for a bit. I thought it was going to be hard not having Aunt Kate around, but Castle has been making the best of it.

We've been having so much fun together, especially since Alexis was in Costa Rica for a summer abroad program at her college. So, it was Castle and I hanging out, like father and daughter bonding. It has been so amazing and since it was summer, we had plenty of time to do things together.

Castle's been taking me to places I never even knew about in New York. I was going to miss him when he went on his book tour, but I know when he comes back, we're going to have even more of a blast. But when he comes back, the following week, I'm going to be starting middle school. I'm so not excited about that, but I'm sure I can handle it.

"Okay, mini Beckett. What do you want to do today?" Castle asked me.

"I don't know," I said as I was sprawled out on his couch.

He plopped down in the empty space and said, "Me either."

"Hey, there's a new skate park a few miles from here that just opened. Do you want to come with me?"

"Why not? I never seen you skate before and I have nothing else to do."

"Sweet… I'm going to get dressed."

"Okay, I will too."

We got dressed and we were both wearing a graphic t-shirt and jeans. I had my skateboard with me and we headed to the skate park.

* * *

The skate park was filled with many different ages and skateboarders. The new skate park was definitely bustling with skateboard hobbyists like myself.

"Um… Is this really safe?" Castle asked as he watched the riders doing daring tricks.

"Of course it's not. That's why it's so awesome. But if you're afraid of getting hurt that's why they make helmets and pads," I said.

"Thank you for your reassuring words. Just be careful mini Beckett."

"Of course. I've been doing this for almost six years, I only hurt myself once and it was only a skinned knee. Don't worry about it."

"Yeah, that doesn't make me feel any less concerned about your safety."

"It's fine."

"Yeah, but if you get hurt. Your aunt Kate is going to be livid."

"I'm sure she'll understand. She knows I like skateboarding. And I won't get hurt, I promise."

"Okay… Now get out there and show me what you can do."

I smiled at him and said, "All right."

I went down a few ramps and did some simple tricks easily. Castle was having a blast watching me and cheering me on. Even some of the older kids started watching me do some tricks. I was having so much fun. I even got Castle to join in on the action.

He was reluctant at first, but I got him to get on the skateboard. I borrowed a helmet from one of the older riders and gave it to Castle to where. I helped Castle keep his balance as he went down the kiddy ramp.

"This isn't too bad," he said.

"Isn't it fun?" I asked.

"Yeah, it's great. Now I see why you like it so much."

"Yep… Do you want to try the bigger ramp?"

"Oh no… This is fine. I think you should do it if you want."

"Well, okay."

We returned the borrowed helmet and I went on the bigger ramp. It was slightly bigger than the other ramp I used to ride when I was younger. I let out a small huff and went down the ramp. The first two tricks I did were simple and easy. I was building up a good momentum and I felt like I was on top of the world.

I decided to pull off a harder trick that I've seen the older kids do. That was a huge mistake, I caught my turn to short and wiped out on the wooded and waxed surface below me. Castle was by my side in a flash and I could hear the sharp silence, floating through the skate park. I didn't even know I was injured until Castle said, "Oh my god, you're bleeding."

I looked down at my elbow and sure enough there was a large gash, spitting out an enormous amount of blood.

"Aww man, not on my favorite shirt," I said as I watched the blood drip on my cool t-shirt.

"Really, that's it!? You're worried about getting blood on your shirt?" Castle asked.

"Yeah, it's an awesome shirt."

He rolled his eyes and helped me up carefully.

"Can you move your arm mini Beckett?" he asked.

I tried to flex my arm, but pain shot through my elbow, like I was shocked with electricity.

"Ow… I think I hurt my elbow," I said.

"You think!?" Castle said with sarcasm.

"Don't worry, it's not that bad."

"Emily, your bleeding profusely and you might have broken your elbow. It's bad."

"I guess. So, should we go to the hospital?"

Castle just glared at me and an attendant from the skate park came over to us, "I called an ambulance."

"Thanks, I'm sorry for the trouble," Castle said.

"No problem. That was a wicked wipe out. Plus a few days ago some dude snapped his ankle pretty good. It was so gross, but sweet at the same time," the guy said and walked away.

"I will never understand skateboarders."

"Don't worry, some of us just have some twisted humor," I said.

"Yeah, I can see that. Let's go wait for the ambulance."

"Okay."

* * *

The ambulance picked us up and took us to the local hospital. I had x-rays done on my elbow and it turns out I did damage some of the cartilage in my elbow and chipped the bone. The doctor cleaned my flesh wound and then wrapped my elbow tightly with adhesive bandaging. I also got a navy blue sling that I'll have to wear to keep from moving my elbow too much.

While we were in the examination room, waiting for the doctor to come back with the discharge papers, Castle's phone started to buzz. He took it out and said, "Oh no."

"What?" I asked.

"It's your aunt Kate, she wants to face time with me."

"Well we can't just ignore it. She'll know somethings up."

"You're right. Just act normal."

"Will do."

He picked it up and said, "Hey Kate. How's D.C.?"

"Hectic, but it's kind of interesting," she said.

"That's great, I'm glad you're having a good time."

"How are you doing?"

"Fine, we're both fine. Having some fun and hanging out. It's all fine."

Castle came over and made sure we were both in the camera frame from our neck up.

"You two are both fine?" she asked looking skeptic.

"Yep, we're fine Aunt Kate. Having a blast," I said.

"Yep," Castle agreed.

"Yeah, I don't believe you two for a minute. Spill it," she said.

"Really it's nothing," I said.

"Yeah, we just miss you," Castle said.

"Where are you?" she said sternly.

We looked around the room and Castle mumbled, "The hospital."

"The hospital!? I'm gone for a week and you're in the hospital. What happened?"

"I was at the skate park and I kind of fell on my elbow," I said as I showed her my arm in the sling.

"Seriously you two. Maybe it was a bad idea to have you two living together."

"Come on, Kate. It was just a little hiccup. Everything's fine. She could have hurt herself plenty of times while skateboarding," he said.

"Yeah, I guess so. You sure you're okay, Em?" she asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine. But I got blood on my favorite shirt," I said.

She chuckled with a roll of her eyes and said, "Well, I guess your fine."

"See, nothing to worry about," Castle said.

"Yeah, I guess I just overreacted since I'm not there. As long as everything is okay and nothing serious is going on."

"Yeah, it's not like that small fire we had yesterday…" I said.

"Wait what!?"

"Bye Kate!" Castle said and promptly hung up, "Are you trying to throw me into the dog house?"

"It's all good," I said with a shrug.

He rolled his eyes at me and eventually the doctor came in and had Castle sign the discharged papers. Even though I got hurt and I'm going to have my arm in a sling for a few weeks, I still had the best time with Castle.


	43. Chapter 43

AN: This chapter is based on Season 6 Episode 1 "Valkyrie". Thank's to everyone for following, favouring, and reviewing this story. Here's the next chapter everybody, enjoy. Don't forget to Review. :)

Disclaimer: I do not own Castle or it's characters.

* * *

Did you miss us!?

Castle was on his West Coast book tour for eleven days and today he was coming home. It was fun hanging out with Mrs. Rodgers, but I'm not going to lie, I missed Castle. I mostly visited my friends and hung out at their house while he was gone. Mike, Leon, and I were having a blast for the past two months. Especially since I got the okay from my doctor that I didn't need to wear my sling any more.

Speaking of two months, I haven't seen Aunt Kate for that long. Sure we Face Time each other and give each other phone calls, but it's not the same. She seems to like her new job though, but she said it was pretty difficult and has a lot of new stuff to get used to.

She's supposed to be visiting us today because we haven't seen her for a while. Castle and Aunt Kate have been canceling on each other lately do to scheduling conflicts. I'm so excited for her to come back. I can't wait to see her. I just don't want her to cancel like they've been doing.

Alexis came back this morning and not alone, she has this new guy in her life named Pi. He's kind of weird, and all I wind up doing is running into their gross make out sessions. And it's only been half a day.

I was knocked out of my thoughts when I heard the door open downstairs and I faintly heard Mrs. Rodgers, talking to Castle. I quickly ran downstairs to see Castle with his cardboard cutout of him.

"Castle!" I said running to him.

"Hey, if it's not mini Beckett. But I guess you're not so mini anymore. Did you grow while I was gone?" Castle asked while giving me a hug.

"Two inches. I'm 4'10" now."

"Wow, I wonder if you'll be as tall as Kate."

"That would be cool. My mama was about 5'7", two inches shorter than Aunt Kate, so I'll still be tall… Maybe."

"Well, I think you will."

"Yeah."

"Now I'm gonna go change. I'll let this guy fill you two in on all the details. He's best with rhetorical questions," he said and then caught a glimpse of Alexis's bags by the stairs, "Is Alexis back?"

"Oh, yeah. She came in this morning," Mrs. Rodgers said.

"I thought she was in Costa Rica until…" Castle started.

"Next week. Surprise!" she said.

"Yeah and she's not alone," I mumbled.

"What now?" Castle said as his eyes went wide.

"Daddy? Hi!" Alexis said as she came down stairs.

"Mmm, come here, you. How was your trip?" he asked as he gave her a hug.

He kept looking over at me, trying to figure out what I meant about not being alone. If I was correct, he'd be finding out really soon.

"Oh! Amazing. Just wait till you see our pictures," she said.

""Our" Picture?" he asked.

"Hey, Al? Where do you keep the matches? I wanna light these sage bundles," Pi said as he came down stairs.

"Surprise!?" I whispered next to Castle.

"Dad, Pi. Pi, Dad," Alexis introduced them.

"Hey Mr. C," Pi said as he gave him a hug, "Awesome to meet you."

""Pie." Like the dessert?" Castle asked.

"Without the E. Like the Greek letter," he said.

"Or like the book and movie, _The Life of Pi_ ," I chimed in.

Alexis gave me a look and I just shrugged.

"She's right. But, personally, I feel the whole spelling thing just stifles creativity," Pi said with a smile.

Castle gave Pi a look and said, "The "spelling thing"?"

"Let's let my dad decompress. Matches are in the kitchen," Alexis said, pulling Pi away to the kitchen.

"Okay," Pi said.

"Well at least he didn't bring a tiger, but I admit, it would have been cool," I whispered.

Castle threw a glare my way and I threw my hands up in surrender. I thought it was funny, at least a little. Castle looked over at his mom and said, "He's not staying here?"

"Oh, he is," Mrs. Rodgers said as she was heading towards the front door.

"Not in her room?"

"You get to have that talk. I have a class. Ta-ta."

"So gross," I mumbled, watching the two puppy lovers kissing in the kitchen.

"Uh, Alexis, could I talk to you a second?" Castle said, breaking up the two young lovers.

Alexis came over to us and she said, "Give him a chance, Dad. I really like him, and he's brilliant."

Pi dropped some pots in the kitchen and I just shook my head.

"Found 'em," Pi said showing the matches.

"We'll talk about this later," Castle said.

"Mmm-hmm," she said.

They went upstairs and Castle said, "Uh, make sure you put some blankets out on the couch for Pi if he's staying. I want him to be comfortable. And Visible."

"We have a long road ahead of us Castle," I said.

Castle rolled his eyes at me and answered his ringing phone, "Please tell me your flight is not delayed. I don't think I can bear another minute not seeing you."

"Is it Aunt Kate!? Put it speaker," I said.

He did and I just caught her sentence, "I'm sorry, I'm not at the airport."

"You're not coming, are you?" he asked.

"What?" I said sadly.

"I'm sorry you two. I just got put on a priority case," she said.

"Kate, we haven't seen each other in six weeks," Castle said.

"Trust me, this was not my call. I'm just as upset as you are."

"No, I know. I'm the one who canceled last time."

"I gotta go. I will make this up to you. The both of you. I promise."

"Right. I'm gonna hold you to that."

"Okay, I love you both."

"Love you, too," we said.

"Bye."

"Bye," we said.

He hung up and looked at his cutout, "What are you smiling about?"

"This sucks," I said.

"I know."

"I miss Aunt Kate."

"Yeah, I understand. I miss her too."

Castle got a look on his face and I said, "What's that look for Castle?"

"What look?" he said.

"The, I have a plan, look," I said.

"I was just thinking, if Kate can't come here…"

"We'll go there."

"Not we, just me."

"What!? Come on Castle, I haven't seen her just as long as you have. I want to see her too."

"I know, but I want to be alone with her."

"I can go for a walk or something and give you two some alone time…"

"I don't know, mini Beckett…"

I got on my knees and started pleading to Castle, "Please let me go… I promise I'll behave…I don't want to stay here alone, watching _The_ _Life of Pi_ with Alexis… Please…"

"All right, All right… I hate when you give me that little puppy dog face," he said.

"Yes! I'll go pack," I said running up the stairs.

* * *

We were in D.C. and it was an awesome place. I couldn't believe all of the buildings, especially they lit up at night. This was my first time here and it's pretty sweet. We got to Aunt Kates apartment before she did and decided to surprise her. She was starting to undress in her bathroom mirror and Castle am out of the shadows, frightening aunt Kate, making her pull her gun on him.

"Oh, Can you at least finish taking that off before you shoot me?" he said.

"Ew… I am here, you know?" I said coming out from behind him.

"Castle? Em? Uh, what are you doing here?" she asked.

"I know I promised to respect your job, but I couldn't go another week without seeing you," he said.

"Same here, I wanted to see you too," I said.

"You shouldn't have come here," she said.

"So you want me to leave?" he asked.

"Oh, immediately," she said.

They kissed passionately and I said, "Do you want me to give you two some time to catch up?"

Kate looked awkwardly at me and said, "Sorry, I forgot you were here."

"It's cool. You two love birds missed each other."

She rolled her eyes and she pulled me towards her for a warm embrace.

"I missed you, Em," she said.

"I missed you too," I said.

"Did you get taller?" she asked.

"Yep, I'm 4'10" now."

"Wow, I'm gone two months and you start to grow. How's your elbow?"

"Fine, I got my sling off about a week ago."

"I'm glad you're okay."

"It was nothing."

"I'm glad you're both here, though."

"Yeah, me too. This is great," Castle said.

"Yeah," I said.

* * *

I slept on the small love seat my aunt had while they took the bedroom. In the early morning hours, I heard Aunt Kate sneak out into the main room. She sat at her dining table and I figured she was working on her case, so I let her be.

A few hours later Castle came out and said, "Hey. How long have you been up?"

"Couple of hours. I had some homework to do," she said.

"Maybe we should do some homework, too."

"Still here," I called out from the love seat.

"Not supposed to get those innuendos…"

"I lived in a bad neighborhood… You're going to have to try harder."

"Okay, you two. To answer your question Castle, I would love to, except I'm still proving myself. I got to know these reports better than the people that wrote them," Aunt Kate said.

"Is this your case?" he asked.

"Yeah."

"What's it about?"

"Castle. It's classified."

"You do realize that only makes me more curious. So is it big?"

"You know I can't talk about it."

"Doesn't mean I can't guess. It must be big. You had to cancel our weekend together. Must be local, because you're still here. I bet I can figure this out."

"Well, that doesn't mean that you should."

"Come on. Don't you miss working together?"

"Yes, I do."

"So if I were to help you, maybe we could solve whatever this is faster, and then have the whole weekend to ourselves. Wouldn't you like that?"

"I would. Until I got arrested for disclosing classified information."

"Oh, Come on. Who's gonna know?"

There was a knock on the door and I lifted a brow from where I was sitting on the love seat.

"Wow. They're good," Castle said.

"I've gotta go. That's my partner," Aunt Kate said.

She got up and dropped her folder, "Oh. Sorry. No, no. I got it."

"I'm not looking. So what time will you be back?" he asked.

"You know what? I'm not quite sure. I'll give you a call as soon as I find out," there was a knock on the door again and Aunt Kate opened it, "Hey, come on in."

"Hey, are you ready?" a lady asked as she walked in.

"Uh, yeah. I just gotta get my bag," my aunt said.

"Your fiancé's visiting."

"You're Agent Mulder…" I said as I walked over to the lady.

Castle huffed out a laugh and the lady said, "It's McCord."

"Yes, my niece and fiancé are visiting. Except they know that we're working. Guys, this is Rachel McCord. She's my new partner."

Castle shook her hand and said, "So, you're the new partner."

"Yep," she said while giving him a stare down.

He just smiled at her and I stood next to them, watching the strange interaction going down. The lady looked more like a doctor than an agent, but I guess they're both tough and great jobs to have.

"Chiefs waiting. Gotta go," Agent McCord said.

"Yeah," Aunt Kate said as she ran out of her room.

"Bye," Castle said.

"Bye," Aunt Kate said.

"Bye Agent Mulder and Agent Scully," I said.

Aunt Kate rolled her eyes at me and placed a kiss on my head. She clicked her tongue with a wink at Castle and left quickly.

"Have fun saving the… World," Castle said.

"Well, her new partner seems… Nice," I said.

" _The X-files_? Really?"

"What? They're FBI agents, I had too. Not a fan?"

"It was okay."

"What, did you like more of the short lived Sci-fi series?"

Castle rolled his eyes and looked over at the dining table. He walked over and grabbed a glossy photo which most likely fell out of Aunt Kate's folder.

"Oh, you forgot you're…" Castle said as he looked at the photograph.

"Castle, you're not going to butt into the case, are you?" I asked.

"I… Well, you know… It could be fun."

"We're going to be so dead. And not to mention thrown in jail for looking at confidential information."

"It'll be fine. We won't get caught."

"You know how many times we've said that."

"Trust me."

"We're done for…"

* * *

Castle started researching the numbers from the picture and decided to call Ryan and Esposito for help. I was still reluctant about this whole thing, but I got to admit, looking into a federal case was kind of exciting.

"Esposito," Esposito said as his voice ran through the phone.

"'Sito! It's me," Castle said.

"And me," I said.

"Castle? Emily? I'll put you on speaker," he said, "So where you been, bro? You've missed, like, three _Halo_ nights."

"I told you, I was on a book tour," Castle said.

"Yeah? Did you tell your book groupies you're engaged now?" Ryan said in the back ground.

"You're swaddling that doll right now, aren't you?" Castle said.

I snickered at his statement.

"So listen, we just finished a case. Come have a drink with us after work," Esposito said.

"Oh, I'd love to, but I'm working on a case of my own right now. For my next book," Castle said.

"Oh, so you just called us 'cause you need some expert technical consulting?" Esposito said.

"Well, since you offered, I'm writing a scene about someone trying to investigate a crime using only one evidence photo, a crime involving national security."

"So your hero's a spy?" Ryan asked.

"More like a ruggedly handsome everyman. Anyway, the photo is of a blown transformer, so I pulled a random photo of a transformer off the Internet, and there's a serial number on the side. I'm trying to determine how much my character could figure out just from that number. I'm wondering if my character's police buddies might have any resources," Castle said.

"Well, if your hero's fictional cop buddies are anything like your real cop buddies, then they'd have real work to get back to, so, Bye-bye now," Esposito said.

"What if our hero was offering Knicks floor seats?"

That sure got their attention and Esposito said, "What's that serial number?"

"Here, A-P-5-7-3-9-2-1-5," Castle said.

Ryan and Esposito went to their tech girl and she said, "Here we go. The "AP" stands for Allegra Power. They service Northern Virginia."

"And would it be possible to trace the location of that transformer using that number?" Castle asked.

"Yeah, sure. The transformer with that serial number controls a 10-square block region of the Ashton Heights neighborhood in Arlington," she said.

"Thanks, you guys. You saved the story."

"Whoa. Guys, that exact transformer was sabotaged two nights ago. And the Feds are investigating."

"Arlington? Isn't that Beckett's backyard?" Ryan asked.

"Castle, is this a real case?" Esposito asked.

"Well, actually, I… what? Tunnel…call…later…when…I…b," Castle said as he promptly hung up.

"Not gonna get caught," I said.

"They don't… They don't know," he shrugged.

"Yeah…"

"All right, why would someone blow up a transformer?" Castle asked.

"Terrorism?" I asked.

"No, that would've been in the news. To cause a blackout?"

"How does a black out affect national security?" I asked.

"Hmm… Not quite sure."

"But I have a feeling we're going to find out."

"Yep, you up for a trip to the power facility?"

"We're going to be in a federal prison for the rest of our lives."

"We'll be fine. We won't get caught."

* * *

Castle figured out that across from the power plant, there's a golf course. He thought about another case where the suspect used the drainage system to escape, which would be the perfect place for this case. Especially since it's on a federal level, they wouldn't want to be seen by any cameras.

We were riding around in a golf cart, driven by a security guard, who worked at the golf course by the plant. We already spoken to a few other ones at the course, but so far we haven't found out much information. The security guard stopped and we got out, to face to face with Aunt Kate and Agent McCord.

"Agent Beckett. Agent McCord. What are you guys doing here?" Castle asked.

"What are you guys doing here?" agent McCord asked.

"Well, I figured since, uh, Beckett was working, we'd just get in a few rounds."

"Where are your clubs?"

"Crap."

"Nice going Castle," I said.

"Do you realize what would happen if I told the chief that he was here? You would be kicked off the team, not to mention obstruction charges against you. This is my one and only warning. The next time I see you, it'd better be on a book jacket," Agent McCord said and walked away.

"Wow. Okay, she is not invited to the wedding," Castle said.

""Get in a few rounds"?" my aunt asked.

"What did you want me to say? That you accidentally left out your evidence photo of the blown transformer?"

"Castle, you went through my classified photos? What the hell were you doing?"

"Trying to help. I didn't think I'd get caught."

"I told you we would," I said.

"Quiet you… Well, you did Castle," my aunt said.

"Yeah," Castle

"How'd you get here, anyway? I mean, why are you here?"

"Well, the transformer led me to a research park where all the tenants have government contracts. I figured maybe they're using the blackout to circumvent the security system, but they're not just gonna waltz in through the front door. Then I remembered that case we had at The Old Haunt, where the killer used…"

"Used the abandoned sewer tunnels underneath New York, yes."

"You thought of it, too!"

"Except this isn't New York. Do you realize how many laws were broken by looking at that photo? Are you trying to get me fired?"

"Would make it easier to see you."

"True," I said.

"Not if I was in jail!" she said.

"Right," he said.

"Look, I wanna see you, too. But it can't be like this, okay? You have to promise you're gonna stop fiddling with this investigation. The both of you."

"Okay, yeah. I promise."

"Me too," I said.

"But wouldn't you at least like to hear what I found out?" Castle asked.

Aunt Kate shrugged with a soft mutter, making sure to keep an eye out for her partner.

"Right. These guys didn't see anything the night of the blackout. It was too dark. But that guard over there remembers seeing a guy a couple days ago in a late '90s model gold Sedan. He was probably doing some kind of recon."

"Castle."

"If you have them send over their surveillance footage…"

"Castle. Castle, Please?"

"Right. Sorry, okay, I'm out."

"Good."

"I promise, wiped from my brain. It's like I wasn't even here."

"Thank you," she whispered and then waved bye, "I gotta go."

"Of course," Castle whispered.

She left and I said, "Nice work Castle."

"You just… You…" Castle said as he started walking away.

I chuckled as I shook my head, following after Castle, awaiting our next failed adventure.

* * *

Castle dropped me off at Aunt Kate's apartment and he went out to the store, to buy some food to cook. He wants to make it up to Aunt Kate for getting involved with her case. It was taking him awfully long and I wondered what was up.

I decided to call Aunt Kate and ask her what was going on.

"Em, you okay?" I heard my aunt ask.

"Yeah, have you heard from Castle?"

"Yeah, we're holding him in interrogation."

"Wait, what!? Why?"

"He was in the car with a guy we were looking for. Turns out he was abducted by him."

"Oh… Wow…"

"Yeah… You sure you're okay?"

"Yeah, but will you guys be done before dinner."

"Em…"

"That's a serious question."

"I don't know. Just sit tight and stay alert."

"Will do Agent Beckett."

"Emily…"

"Bye…" I said, hanging up.

I can't believe Castle was abducted by the man they were looking for. Of all the luck, right? At least I wasn't there. It think I've had my fair share of kidnappings. At least he's okay though, but I really hope they're done soon. I'm hungry.

* * *

We were sent home the next day and I had to say goodbye to Aunt Kate. Even though I only saw her a little bit, it was still a nice reunion. As soon as we walked through the door, Pi greeted us, "Mr. C! Mini B! Qué pasa?"

"Pi," we said.

We walked in and over to where Pi was making dinner and Castle said, "Where's Alexis?"

"She went shopping with her grandma. I volunteered to make dinner tonight, and I'm just getting a jump on the prep. Can I count you guys in on a nice, juicy steak?" he asked.

"These aren't Steak?"

"That's papaya steak. It's the juiciest steak there is."

I looked at the fruit and made a disgusted face. Well, this is going to be an interesting roommate.

"This is all fruit," Castle said looking around the kitchen counter.

"I'm a fruitarian," Pi said.

"Of course you are," Castle mumbled.

"It's all that I eat. Original diet of mankind. Nutrition as God intended."

Castle picked up a banana peel from the floor and tossed it, "You know, Pi, don't, uh, take this the wrong way, but how long do you plan on staying at casa de Castle?"

"You know, I'm actually in a little bit of a bind. See, I live in Amsterdam, but I, uh, kinda lost my passport. But, hey, you don't wanna hear about my troubles. You got your own, right?"

"I do now. You are gonna clean all this up?"

"Mr. C., I get the feeling things didn't go too well in D.C. with your fiancée, did they?"

"No, Pi. They did not."

"You know, sometimes the best thing to do is talk about it."

"You know what? You're absolutely right."

"Where you goin'?"

"I'm going to find someone to talk about it with."

I followed Castle to the door and he said, "Stay here."

"Don't leave me here with fruit boy," I said.

"Just keep an eye on him for me."

"Fine…"

Castle left and I looked over at Pi who gave me a giant smile. Well, this is going to be fun.

* * *

My time alone with Pi was actually kind of fun. Don't judge a guy until you know the guy, right? He actually taught me a few things I didn't know and his papaya steak is actually pretty tasty. He let me taste some before dinner. Pi is really a cool guy and I see why Alexis likes him so much.

Alexis and Mrs. Rodgers came back a little while ago and Alexis helped Pi with the rest of the food. Castle came back a little after them and went straight to his office. I wondered what he was up to. Hopefully it wasn't about Aunt Kate's case, or he'll get in even more trouble.

Alexis went to get Castle for dinner and I watched Pi put on the finishing touches to the dish. There was a knock on the door and wondered who it was.

"I'll get it," Mrs. Rodgers said.

Mrs. Rodgers opened the door and in came two men in suits. This did not look good. I followed them into Castle's office and hi mom said, "Richard, these men are here for you. They say they're federal agents."

"Mr. Castle, you need to come with us right away," One agent said.

"What is this about?" Castle asked.

"Please sir. Just come with us."

"Why?"

"You too, little one," the other agent said as he grabbed my arm.

"Me?" I asked.

"Wait a minute, you can't just take them away…" Mrs. Rodgers said.

"Just do me a favor, call up my lawyer. And call Beckett," Castle said.

"Dad, this… Dad!" Alexis called out.

* * *

We made our way to D.C. and I wondered what was going on. Were we really in serious trouble? I blame Castle for all of this. We were brought into the place Aunt Beckett worked with the FBI and we had our blood drawn.

"I blame you Castle," I said as we sat in the interrogation room together.

"Why?" he asked looking shocked.

"You got me into this."

"I didn't…"

"Yeah, you did. You made me look at the photo and go to the power plant."

"I didn't make you."

"Okay, fine, but still."

"They aren't going to throw an eleven year old in prison anyway."

"Yeah, I guess."

It was silent and then Aunt Kate came in.

"Beckett. Finally. What's going on? Why won't anyone talk to me? And why would they take our blood?" Castle asked.

"Castle, you know that case that I've been investigating, the break-in and the theft? Well, it turns out there's more to it than we thought," she said as she brought a seat up to Castle.

"Are you gonna waterboard me? Because that would seriously affect our relationship."

"No, babe, can you listen for a second? Um. It turns out that something else was stolen from another lab in that building. It was a chemical agent that they were working on for the military, but it was deemed too dangerous to use. The amount stolen was enough to kill thousands of people."

"Isn't this "need-to-know" stuff? Why are you telling me?"

"Because that toxin was used to kill Jack Bronson, the man that abducted you. It was aerosolized. It was placed in the ventilation system of his car."

"I was in that car."

"How do I fit in to the equation?" I asked.

"You were just a precaution," she said.

I nodded, but this was not looking good for Castle.

"Was I… How bad?" Castle asked

"Based on the amount found in your bloodstream, you have less than a day to live."

That sentence broke my heart. Was Castle seriously going to die…?


	44. Chapter 44

AN: This chapter is based on Season 6 Episode 2 "Dreamworld". Thank's to everyone for following, favoriting, and reviewing this story. Here's the next chapter everybody, enjoy. Don't forget to Review. :)

Disclaimer: I do not own Castle or it's characters.

* * *

Will it all be Okay?

Aunt Kate just broke the news that Castle could have less than a day to live and I was scared, furious, and distraught. How could this happen? Why did it have to be Castle? This was not how I wanted this to go down. I mean they just got engaged.

"This isn't fair," I said standing up.

"Em, I know. This is a terrible situation, but there isn't much we can do," Aunt Kate said.

"What about an antidote? There has to be an antidote," Castle asked.

"The only existing vial was stolen with the toxin," Aunt Kate said.

"They can make more, right? They have to be able to make more."

"It would take too long to synthesize."

"How long?"

"A week."

"That's too long. Are you sure I was exposed? I mean, I… I feel fine. Maybe they were wrong."

"Look, there's a doctor coming in from Waiter Reed. He's gonna be able to answer any other questions that you might have."

"Yeah, well, I think you already did that."

"Hey. We're gonna find whoever's behind this. And when we do, we're gonna get that antidote, 'cause I'm not letting you out of our engagement that easily."

"All right. So where are you in the investigation?"

"We're looking into every possible lead."

"That's what you say when you're nowhere."

"Castle."

"The guy who abducted me…"

"Yeah, Bronson."

"Right. Was he military? Special ops?

"Marine Force Recon. Why?"

"Okay, because before he died, he said something."

"Valkyrie, yeah. We've been looking into it. There's nothing in the databases."

"Not that. He said something about Dreamworld. Now I didn't think it was anything, but according to Esposito, "Dreamworld" is the code name of a special ops ghost base somewhere in the Middle East."

"And you think that that somehow relates to the theft of the toxin?"

"I think Bronson thought it did."

Just then someone knocked on the door and it opened slightly. In came an older guy in a suit, carrying a black bag, and said, "Sorry to interrupt. I'm Dr. Goldberg, here to check on Mr. Castle."

Castle raised his hand with a disheartening look on his face. This was not going to be easy on any for us, but I hoped we can find an antidote in time to save him. Aunt Kate lured me out of the room and she took me to a small area where there was no one around. I figured she wanted to talk to me one on one to see if I'm okay.

"This is bullshit," I said.

"Em, watch your mouth. I know this is tough, but we'll get through this," she said.

"We don't know that. Everyone I know dies, it's like I'm an angle of death."

"That's not true."

"Isn't it. My mom, my dad, people who I've met. You almost died and now Castle is."

"Em, that's not true. You didn't cause any of those deaths. If I wanted to, I could say the same thing about me."

"This isn't fair."

"I know, Em. We just have to stay positive and break this case, so we can get the antidote."

"I know."

She pulled me into a tight hug, "Everything's going to be all right."

"I hope it is."

We stayed like that for a while until she broke it off.

"I'm going to go talk to my partner and boss, and see if they have anything."

"Okay, I'm going to go hang with Castle."

"Okay, try to keep each other's mind off of it."

"I'll try."

She gave me a soft kiss on the head and went off to talk with her fellow agents. I walked back to the room and when I entered the doctor was just leaving. He gave me a short nod before he exited the room, leaving Castle and I alone.

"Hey mini Beckett. You okay?" Castle asked me.

I sat down in the metal chair in front of him and said, "I told my aunt I'd try to keep my mind off this, but it's so hard castle."

"I know it is. This is hard for me too."

"I know, because you're the one who's…"

"Yeah."

I started to cry and I said, "Please don't die on me Castle. You're the best friend a person can have and you're like my father. I want you to marry Aunt Kate."

"Hey, hey, hey… Don't Cry mini Beckett, everything is going to be okay. We'll get the antidote and then it'll all be smooth sailing," he said as he gently wiped my tears away.

"Yeah, you're right. It's still hard though. It's like everyone I know dies."

"That must be rough on you mini Beckett, especially since your only eleven. But just know, you're strong because of it and you still know how to make a smile appear on everyone face. If I do die mini Beckett, promise me, you'll stay strong for my mom, Alexis, and your Aunt Kate."

I nodded my head and said, "I promise Castle. I won't let you down."

He pulled me into a hug and said, "I love you Emily."

"I love you too, Uncle Rick."

He chuckled quietly and said, "I'm technically not your uncle yet."

"I know, but if I don't' get the chance to say it, at least I got to say it once."

He smiled softly and said, "Okay… I'm going to go help with the case."

"I'll come with."

"All right."

We left the room and found Aunt Kate and her fellow agents debriefing and figuring things out.

Castle cut in and said, "You could also check Bronson's phone records. He and this reporter might be connected."

"Castle, you should be resting," my aunt said.

"Well, there's plenty of time for that later, apparently. Um, if it's all the same, I'd rather be helping," he said.

"Mr. Castle, I understand your desire to be involved, but you…" my aunt's boss said.

Castle stopped what the man was saying and said, "No one is more motivated than me to solve this. And if it doesn't work out, I'll be out of your hair by the end of the day."

"You know, sir, Castle is the only one that has firsthand experience with Bronson. He might be an asset," my aunt said.

"Okay. But, Agent Beckett, he's your responsibility," her boss said.

"I know," my aunt said.

"Sir, it looks like Bronson and the reporter are connected. His phone records show calls to and from _The Washington Union_ around the time the article was written," a computer technician said.

"Bronson must've been a source for the article," Agent McCord said.

"Go. Find out what he knows," the boss said and Castle started following Aunt Kate and her partner out, "Uh, Mr. Castle. You can assist us, but only from inside this building."

"Right," Castle said.

Castle and Aunt Kate shared a short wave goodbye and she followed her partner out of the building.

"You know this place is kind of cool," I said looking around.

The boss looked down at me and said, "You, don't touch anything. Keep an eye on her Mr. Castle."

"Yes, sir," Castle said.

The guy left and Castle and I were standing alone in the room.

"Mini Beckett, don't touch anything."

"But everything's so shiny."

"Emily…"

"I'm kidding, I promise I won't touch a thing."

"Good."

* * *

Aunt Kate and Agent McCord came back a little while later and we were following them through the rooms at the Department Of Justice along with their boss.

"I have homeland tightening security at every likely D.C. target. Government buildings, tourist attractions, transit hubs," her boss said.

"The bad news is the toxin's versatile. It can be deployed through the ventilation system, it could contaminate a reservoir, it can be detonated with a bomb, and release a toxic plume over part of this city. And if that happens, we'd be dealing with a lot more than just a couple of deaths on our hands, and I am so sorry," Agent McCord said, looking at Castle.

"No, it's your job. And if we stop the next attack, it might mean saving me. But if this is Al-Qaeda retaliation, how did they know about Bronson?" Castle asked.

"He was on the ground during the air strike. He might have been seen by locals or Zawari family members," Aunt Kate said.

"Well, let's check for any Zawari family members, friends, or associates in the D.C. area. If Al-Qaeda is about to strike, they must have people on the ground," the boss said and walked away.

"I'll be in the tech room," Agent McCord said, knowing that the two needed to talk.

"Look…" my aunt started, but Castle cut her off, "I'm okay."

His phone started ringing and he said, "It's my mother. She's been calling all morning. I can't, uh, avoid her forever."

"Okay."

Castle walked away and answered his phone, "Hello, mother. To what do I owe the pleasure?"

I stayed with Aunt Kate and watched her watching Castle walking away.

"Everything's going to be fine right?" I asked her.

"I really hope so, Em… I really hope so," she said as she pulled me into her side.

* * *

Things were getting pretty hectic around here trying to figure out who took the deadly toxin and where they could be. We were cutting it really close because Castle already took his last shot and he really wasn't looking to hot. It was hard on all of us, but we knew the only way to fix this was to find the antidote.

We finally hit a lead and it turned out to be the reporter, Brad Parker, who was writing about Dreamworld. Turns out that Valkyrie was his girlfriend, Farrah, and was killed during the mission, but it was covered up by The Secretary of Defense, General Reed. When the agents went out to catch the reporter, Castle decided to tag along, because he only had so much time to get the antidote into his system.

Thankfully on their way to stop the reporter from killing General Reed, Castle and Aunt Kate figured out he was going to kill his wife instead, so General Reed could feel the same pain Brad did when he lost Valkyrie. Things didn't go down quite as smoothly as they hoped, but thankfully Agent McCord followed Aunt Kate's instincts and was able to stop Brad.

After everything cooled down and they were able to get a hold of the antidote, Castle was whisked off to the Hospital. That's where we were now, waiting for Castle to wake up. Alexis and Mrs. Rodgers were on their way here after we let them know what was going on.

I was sitting next to Aunt Kate as we watched Castle's sleeping form.

"Beep…Beep…Beep…" I said.

"Em, keep doing that I'm throwing you out in the hall," my aunt said, looking annoyed.

"Okay, no need to get hostile."

She shook her head and went back to Castle. Just a few seconds later Mrs. Rodgers and Alexis came in looking worried, and Pi was with them too. Aunt Kate reassured them that everything was okay and Castle should wake up any minute.

"Castle," my aunt whispered.

Castle mumbled incoherently and his eyes fluttered open.

"Hi. I had the strangest dream, and you were there," he whispered.

"Oh, thank God!" his mom said.

"Hi, Dad," Alexis said.

"Hey. And you were there. And you were there," he said.

"I hope I was the good witch," I said.

He chuckled and said, "And you were there too."

"Hey, Mr. C. I did some healing Reiki on you. Looks like it worked," Pi said.

"And you were there," Castle said.

Mrs. Rodgers laughed and said, "I think he's gonna be all right."

"Yeah, thanks to you," Castle said to my aunt.

"Well, look, look, why don't we why don't we give you guys a moment? Come on," his mom said.

"We'll be outside if you need us," Alexis said.

"Okay. Love you," Castle said

"Love you, too."

I followed everyone out and let Aunt Kate and Castle talk alone.

I was glad everything turned out okay and Castle was safe. It was really close and I would have been devastated if I would have lost another person close to me. Even though it was a terrible weekend, I still had a great time and I can't wait to see my Aunt Kate again. I just hope its sooner rather than later, and hopefully without another close call.


	45. Chapter 45

AN: Thank's to everyone for following, favoriting, and reviewing this story. Here's the next chapter everybody, enjoy. Don't forget to Review. :)

Disclaimer: I do not own Castle or it's characters.

* * *

Welcome to Middle School

Aunt Kate was finally back from D.C. and we're all so happy. Why is she home you may ask? Because Aunt Kate fed the news an anonymous tip about a young woman to protect her from becoming a mole. Since the FBI found out it was Aunt Kate, they fired her and now she can't get her old job back at the precinct due to station budget cuts, preventing Gates from simply re-hiring her. So, she's kind of at a loss as to what to do with her life right now. Hopefully she gets to return to the precinct soon because she loves being a detective.

Today was my first day of middle school and I really didn't want to go, but I kind of have to. I walked down stairs in my school outfit and saw Aunt Kate making herself and Castle coffee.

"Good Morning Aunt Kate," I said as I sat at the kitchen isle.

"Good Morning, Em. Are you ready for your first day of middle school?" she asked.

"Is anybody ready for a first day of middle school?"

"I guess not. I'm sure you'll have a good time."

"I hope so."

Aunt Kate handed me a plate of food and said, "Here, I made some breakfast."

"Thanks," I said and started to dig into the eggs and toast.

"Do you want me to take you to school?" my aunt asked.

"No way! I'm in the sixth grade, I can't have my aunt taking me to school," I said.

"Yeah, Kate. She can't be cool if you're tagging along," Castle chuckled as he entered the room.

Aunt Kate rolled her eyes and said, "Fine, just make sure you get there on time and come straight here after school."

"Fine," I mumbled.

"So, Kate. What are you doing today?" Castle asked.

"I have no clue. I haven't been out of work like this for so long. I need to think of something to do," my aunt sighed.

"We'll figure something out. Maybe we can go out somewhere together."

"Yeah, maybe that will take my mind off of things."

"Yeah, it will be great, I promise. Plus I need to get out of here myself."

Aunt Kate chuckled knowing exactly what he was talking about. This place has become pretty crowded. Alexis brought Pi home, we're living here, and also his mother. It's like a whole big crazy family. A family with no boundaries I may add, I shudder at the sights I've been seeing lately. I thought all the other things that ever happened to me would scare me for life, but I think these come pretty close to the traumatization I've suffered.

"Good morning everyone," Pi said as he came down stairs.

"Morning Pi," we all mumbled.

"Hey, Mr. C. Do you have a pair of boxers that I can borrow? I kind of ran out and Alexis is doing the laundry so…"

Castle let out a small disgusted sound and said, "Sorry, Pi. I don't and even if I did, I don't think you'd be able to fit in them."

"That's cool. I just thought you'd might have an extra old pair that you couldn't fit into anymore, lying around somewhere. Not the first time I've gone commando," Pi said with a shrug and headed back upstairs.

"That kid shares too much information," Castle said.

"He's very interesting," my aunt said with a small smile.

"Tell me about it."

"I'm gonna to go," I said.

"Okay, have fun, Em. Be good please," my aunt said.

"I will," I said.

"Bye Mini Beckett. Have a good time," Castle said.

"I'll try, bye Castle."

"Bye," my aunt said giving me a hug.

"Bye," I said.

I grabbed my back pack along with my skateboard and headed out the door. I road all the way to my new school. It was huge and I wasn't ready to start a whole new school, grade, and being the young one on campus. I started walking to the front entrance of the school and there were so many kids, I could barely see where I was going. You can see all the age differences while walking through the halls. There were tall kids, short kids, older looking kids who looked like high schoolers, and young looking kids who look like they belonged back in elementary school.

I found my locker which was surrounded by a whole bunch of obnoxious sixth and seventh graders. Some were throwing paper airplanes, while others were drumming on the large lockers. Middle school was definitely going to be a big change for me, but hopefully it'll be easy and go bye quickly. I took out my schedule and read over it a few times, so I knew where to go. Turns out I have lunch after my third period class, which is pretty good.

I went to my first class of the day, and it was math. I wasn't a huge math fan, but I could handle it. When I walked into the classroom, our teacher set up a name card on each desk for each period he had. I went around the room and it turned out it was in alphabetical order. Since it was in alphabetical order, I was near the front of the class, which sucked. I took a seat and there was only a few other kids in the class so far. I didn't know them, so I figured they went to another elementary school. I was really hoping to have a few kids from my old school in my class, especially Mike.

After a few minutes, a bunch more kids started to shuffle in, looking tired and weary of their new school. I caught a glimpse at one of the students and it was Mike. I waved to him and he came bounding over to me with a lopsided smile on his face.

"Hi, Emmy. This is so awesome! I'm glad we have a class together," Mike said.

"Yeah, it is. I was hoping to have someone I knew in my class," I said

"Yeah, me too. And I'm happy it's you."

"Yeah, I'm glad it's you too."

He looked at the names on the desk and said, "So, I guess we're sitting in alphabetical order."

"Yep, it sucks."

"Yeah, I hate having M as my last name. I'm always near the back."

"Yeah, well having B as a last name isn't too awesome either. I'm always near the front."

"Guess both of our name placements suck."

"Yep."

The bell rung and Mike said, "I'll talk to you later."

We went through every class pretty quickly on the first day. Our teachers mostly went over what we'll be learning for the whole semester. I had Mike in all my classes except my two electives. He has wood shop and computer technology, while I have PE and Art. I didn't think I'd like middle school, but it turns out it's actually not that bad. It may have only been the first day, but I have high hopes for it.

* * *

I went back to Castle's place after school and found Aunt Kate and Castle cuddled up on the couch.

"Hi guys," I said.

"Hey, Em. Did you have a fun day at school?" my aunt asked.

"Yeah, I had a great time. I actually have a lot of the same classes as Mike."

"That's great. I hope you'll continue to like it."

I plopped down on the couch next to my aunt and said, "Me too. So, how was your day?"

"It was really nice. Castle took me to a few places and we hung out."

"That's cool."

"Yeah, it was great mini Beckett," Castle said.

"I'm glad you two had fun," I said.

"Thanks," they said.

I guess all in all, today was a good day for all of us. Hopefully, we have many more great days together, but who knows, sometimes our luck isn't on our side.


	46. Chapter 46

AN: Thank's to everyone for following, favoriting, and reviewing this story. Here's the next chapter everybody, enjoy. Don't forget to Review. :)

Disclaimer: I do not own Castle or it's characters.

* * *

The Haunting of The East Mansion

It's been about a month and a half since school started, and tomorrow is the scariest holiday of the year, Halloween. My costume is going to be wicked awesome. I already have it hanging in my closest, getting ready for that special day. The costume is a wolf onesie that is super furry and soft. It's a light gray color and has white fur for the tummy. It even has a cute little tail in the back that feels almost real. The hoodie has bright blue eyes and two cute wolf ears, pointing straight up. I also have some Halloween makeup to give myself a nose and whiskers.

I was so excited for tomorrow night and get a whole bunch of candy. That's all we could talk about during school today, our plans for Halloween. Everyone had awesome costumes and party plans, but I thought mine was still the best. Mike was going to be Deadpool because he thought he was really cool. And now that he's taken a few karate lessons, he thinks he can wheeled the katanas just as well as Deadpool.

I was heading into Castle's place and when I got in, Aunt Kate and Castle were getting ready to leave.

"Where are you going?" I asked them.

"I just got a case," my aunt said.

"Can I come?"

"Only if you promise to stay out of trouble."

"I promise I'll stay out of trouble."

"Okay… You can tag along."

I quickly put my school bag in my room and went off with Castle and Aunt Kate to the crime scene.

* * *

We pulled up to an old looking mansion and it was huge. I couldn't believe my eyes, the place was gigantic and I bet it even has a tennis court, pool, and anything else you could possibly think of.

"Wow, this place is amazing," I said as got out of the car.

"This is The East Mansion," Castle said.

"Wait, the one from all those scary ghost tales?"

"Yep, that's the one."

"I'm not going in there."

"Why are you scared?"

"Yeah… All the tales are creepy and if a murder just happened here, I think it's a little coincidental."

"There are no ghosts you two. Just like that other "haunted house" we solved a case at Castle. It's all make believe," my aunt said.

"How could you be so sure? This could possibly be the real deal," Castle said.

"I'm with Castle," I said.

"Trust me you two. There are no such things as ghosts or evil spirits. It's just someone committing murders and who I have to get off the street," she said.

"Fine," Castle grumbled.

We followed her in and were greeted by Ryan and Esposito.

"We took a good look around this place, but found nothing out of the ordinary," Esposito said.

"I also talked to the maid who was working for Ms. Devo and she said Ms. Devo had been acting strange for the past few days. She said when she came here this morning, she found her body," Ryan said.

"Yeah, and Ms. Devo also just bought a high tech security system, placing cameras all over the outside and inside of the house. We grabbed some footage to see if we can get anything."

"Okay. Did the maid here anything or was it just Ms. Devo?" Aunt Kate asked.

"The maid said she felt an odd presence a few times since Ms. Devo started acting weird, but she didn't think anything of it," Ryan said.

"It's got to be a ghost. They never saw anybody and the frightening sounds," Castle said.

"You believe in that old tale we used to tell as kids?" Esposito said.

"Come on, it has to be. It really explains a lot."

"It doesn't even explain the half of it, Castle," my aunt said.

"She's got a point. I don't think we'll be finding anything supernatural with this case," Ryan.

Castle pouted and said, "You guys sure know how to take the fun out of things."

"Sorry bro, but ghosts don't just come out of nowhere, slicing and dicing people, except in the movies," Esposito said.

Ryan and Esposito walked off and we went deeper into the mansion. It really didn't look to creepy, but I could feel that slight eerie presence hanging in the air. We found Lanie, who was going over the body thoroughly.

"Hey, Lanie, do you have anything?" my aunt asked.

"Not really, sweetie. It's pretty much everything you see here, just a whole bunch of slashes across this poor women's chest. Whoever did this, definitely wanted her to suffer," she said she shook her head.

The sight was pretty gruesome, it looked like something out of a crazy slasher flick. There were four large and deep gashes across the women's chest and upper stomach.

"Wow, that's some crazy wounds. Someone really didn't like her," Castle implied.

"Yeah, could be dealing with a crime of passion or…" I cut Aunt Kate's sentence off and said, "Or Freddy Krueger? Or maybe Jason Voorhees?"

"I'm with her," Castle chimed in.

"No… I was going to say a disgruntled employer or ex-friend," she said.

"That works too," I said.

She rolled her eyes at me and said, "Thanks Lanie. Let me know if you get anything."

"Of course," Lanie said.

Aunt Kate walked over towards the maid and said, "Hi, you talked to another detective earlier."

"Yes," she said.

"Do you think I can ask a few more questions?"

"No not at all. Anything to help Ms. Devo."

"Do you know if Ms. Devo was seeing anyone?"

"No, she was not. She's been single for a very long time. Ever since she got a divorce seven years ago from Mr. Guillen."

"Does her husband still visit from time to time?"

"Oh, no. They can't stand each other. She said the next time he takes a step on her property she'd have him arrested."

"When was this?"

"Hmm… About a month or two ago. They had a large spat out by the front entrance."

While my aunt asked the maid a few more questions, I decided to explore the mansion that was the focus of many children's horror tales. Since I was still pretty small, it was easy to slip around the cops and crime scene tape. I went upstairs and found a long hallway filled with doors. I walked down the enormous hall way and saw many different paintings lining the walls. They were all creepy in their own way, some were children staring blankly at you and some were of couples from the 1900's. I felt like the paintings were watching me and it made a chill run down my spine.

I stopped at a very unique and vintage looking mirror, and took a gander. It was a very nice and rustic piece. I tried to get a closer look at the mirror, but as I got closer, I caught a glimpse of a dark figure looking at me. I quickly spun around with a sharp gasp, but nothing was there. I looked left and right, but it was just me standing in an empty hall way. I let out a sigh and figured my head was playing tricks with me.

I dropped my tense shoulders and then a hand landed on one of them. I jumped and let out a loud yelp of fright. Castle stepped back with his hands up and said, "Whoa, calm down mini Beckett, it's just me. I didn't mean to scare you."

"It's okay Castle, I just thought you were a ghost," I said.

"Well, I promise you I'm not a ghost or possessed by one, but I admit, that would be pretty cool."

"Castle…"

"It would."

"Yeah, I guess it would."

"Come on, let's get back to your Aunt Kate before she gets angry."

"Yeah, I don't like it when she's angry."

"That makes two of us."

* * *

We arrived at the precinct and that scare from the mirror was still bugging me a bit. Was that house truly haunted or was I just imagining the whole thing. It couldn't possibly have been Castle because I would've seen him once I turned around. I think I'm just thinking too much into this.

"Did you guys find anything on that surveillance video yet?" my aunt asked Ryan and Esposito.

"No, we haven't seen one thing," Esposito said.

"All we've seen is the maid and Ms. Devo. It all seems normal," Ryan said.

"Can you speed it up to the time of her death?" she asked.

"Sure," Ryan said.

They sped up the video and played it at normal speed around the time of Ms. Devo's murder. She was seen walking through her foyer and towards her living room when she drops to the floor, looking like she was screaming out in pure agony. A few seconds later, she doesn't make a move as her blood's seeping out of her body. Everyone watched the video in silence, not having any words to say about what we just witnessed. She was murdered, but there was no murderer. She was the only person on screen. The ghost theory was really starting to look good.

"See I told you it was an evil spirit or something," Castle said, breaking the silence.

"No, there's got to be an explanation for this," my aunt said.

"There was no one on screen."

"He could have known how to hide off camera. Can we get it from a different feed in the house?"

"I'll try," Ryan said as he clicked a few buttons.

We went through all the feeds, but there was no one, just Ms. Devo.

"Wait, slow it down at 7:35," Aunt Kate said.

Ryan slowed the footage down and slowly we saw a small blur blip on screen, moving slowly towards Ms. Devo, but as quick as it appeared, the blur disappeared just as fast.

"Tell me you saw that?" Castle said with excitement.

"Yes, but it doesn't mean it's a ghost. It could just be a very smart person," my aunt said.

"I might be leaning more towards Castle's theory. That was awfully strange," Esposito said.

"Yeah," Ryan said.

"It's not a ghost. Send the video to tech and see if they can decipher the image," she said.

"Got it," Ryan said as he went off to the tech room.

"I'm going to look over some of the things I got," Esposito said as he left.

"Wow, this case sure took a turn a turn into…" Castle started.

"Don't you dare say supernatural or of the likes," Aunt Kate said.

"Never mind then."

"Beckett, I need you to go down to the mansion. The maid, Ms. Wong, just called in and was spooked by something," Captain Gates said as she poked her head out of her office.

"Yes, sir," she said.

* * *

We went back to the mansion, but it started to get darker outside. At night, it sure did get a whole lot creepier. There was a slight fog hanging around and dim lights that were made for a horror film. We went inside the mansion and the maid was standing with a few uniformed cops. Aunt Kate started talking to her and asking what she heard.

"I heard loud clanging noise and then scratching. I thought it was an animal or something, but I could have sworn I saw a figure. But it vanished as soon as I saw it," Ms. Wong said with fright.

"Did you happen to see what they looked like?" Aunt Kate asked.

"No… Like I said, it disappeared in the blink of an eye. I thought I was going crazy at first, but I'm pretty sure it was there."

"Are you saying it's a ghost?" Castle asked.

"I'm not saying it's a ghost, but it could have been. I didn't believe the stories, but now I'm not so sure," Ms. Wong said.

"I promise you, we'll get to the bottom of this whole thing. I assure you this place isn't haunted," Aunt Kate said with frustration.

"I understand."

"Is there a bathroom?" I asked.

"Em…" my aunt said.

"I have to go."

"There's a bathroom up the stairs and the second door to the left," Ms. Wong said as she pointed at the stairwell.

"Thanks," I said and scurried up the stairs.

I relieved myself in the little girl's room and started to wash my hands. As I washed my hands the lights started to flicker ominously. I dried my hands on the fancy towels and looked around my surroundings. I was honestly very nervous and afraid that this place really was haunted. I left the room, but on my way towards the stairs, one of the doors creaked open slowly. It was opened just a crack, so I really couldn't see anything.

"Don't investigate it Emily. You've watched the movies…. Uhh, you idiot," I mumbled to myself as I moved closer to the door.

I put my hand lightly on the door knob and pushed the door open slowly. There was a small light on, which only glowed faintly in the near corner by the door. I gulped and went further into the room. Do not say hello, that's another no-no. Just turn around and leave, everything will be fine. A dark figure emerged into my line of sight and I was frightened to my very core. I couldn't even scream. My mouth just hung open, emitting a low gasping sound. The figure started getting closer and I finally willed myself to run to the door. It shut as soon as I reached it, and I grasped at the knob frantically.

Somehow the door locked and I was stuck in the room with a killer ghost. I banged on the door desperately and finally managed to scream out, "Aunt Kate! Castle! HELP ME! HELP!"

I kept banging on the door, hot tears running down my face. I turned around as I felt the killer getting closer to me. The figure took out a large butcher knife, which still had Ms. Devo's blood on it.

"EMILY!" I heard my aunt scream from outside the door.

"Mini Beckett!" Castle yelled out too.

I covered my eyes waiting to get slashed open by the scary figure, but it never came. Next thing I know, I'm falling on to the wooden floor behind me, looking up at Aunt Kate and Castle. They must have got the door opened somehow, scaring off the killer ghost. Aunt Kate helped me off the ground, smoothing back my hair, and asked me what happened.

"I saw a ghost. He tried to kill me," I said.

"There are no ghosts," my aunt said.

She looked up at Castle, trying to ask him for help. He shrugged and said, "I… I really don't know. I mean, the door was locked and the lights were flickering. This seems like paranormal activity to me."

"What did you see?" she asked me.

"I saw a dark figure lurking over me and holding a large butcher knife with blood on it," I said.

"Are you positive?"

"Yes."

"Okay… Let me take a look around here."

Aunt Kate walked into the room with Castle following behind her. She flicked on some lights, which illuminated the whole room. They looked around, pulling books off the shelves and looking behind paintings.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

"Looking for a secret passageway," she said.

"Cool, like in the movies."

"Something like that."

She walked past a part of the wall and then walked back. She bent down and put her hand by the floor.

"Feel something?" Castle asked as he cocked a brow.

"Yeah, a small draft," she said.

She felt around the wall and started pulling at one of the parts. The wall opened slowly as she pulled, and lo and behold, a secret passage was right in front of us.

"That's awesome. I got to get one of these," Castle said.

"I second that," I said.

"Let's go," my aunt said as she pulled out her gun.

We went down the stairs and into a secret bunker. Whoever was living down here was definitely a slob. There were boxes, clothes and food scattered about the small room. It also stank like rotten garbage.

"Eww…" I said as held my nose.

"Eww… Is right," Castle said.

"Whoever's been down here, has been down here for quite a while," my aunt said as she looked through some stuff.

"Yeah, seems like this place has passageways to all over the house," Castle said, looking around.

"Seems like it. I'm, going to grab somethings to take back to the lab and see if we can find out who's been down here."

* * *

We went back to the precinct and waited for word on the lab results. I was still a little shaken up after the whole incident, but at least it wasn't a ghost. I don't know if that helps any, but I'm telling myself it does.

"You okay mini Beckett?" Castle asked.

"Yeah, I'm okay. It was just a little frightening. The worst haunted house experience ever," I said with a slight chuckle.

He chuckled lightly too and said, "Yeah, bet that was scary, but at least you're okay."

"Yeah."

"Just think tonight you'll be going trick or treating."

"Yeah. That's going to be fun."

"Yep, a whole bunch of candy that I may or may not steal."

"Hey…"

He laughed and said, "Kidding. Kind of."

I laughed with him and Aunt Kate came over with some news, "They got a match on one of the prints. It belongs to Ms. Devo's ex-husband, Mr. Guillen."

"Ex-husband, classic," Castle said.

* * *

They caught up with Mr. Guillen pretty quickly after they found out it was him. Turns out he was staying in that hiding spot for about a month. Apparently, after Ms. Devo told him that she didn't want him on her property again, she called him up a couple weeks later, to get some of her belongings back after seven years. He was angry with her and wanted to teach her a lesson. The day Ms. Devo was murdered, she caught him eating in her kitchen and she was going to call the cops. He got angry with her, grabbing the butchers knife, and following her towards the foyer where he killed her.

They asked him how he made it seem paranormal and it turns out with the security system she got, he was able to hack into it easily and mess with the system. He controlled every lock in the house, every lighting fixture, and even the cameras. I guess I was a threat to him getting caught, so he was going to eliminate me, but thankfully that didn't happen. Now I get to celebrate a crazy free Halloween with my best friend Mike. Leon was tagging along with us, but he said he was too old to where a costume.

"I can't believe you were in The East Mansion," Mike said.

"Yeah, I wouldn't even step foot in there," Leon said.

"Yeah, it was crazy. I really thought it was haunted, but at least it was just a crazy misunderstanding," I said

"Definitely, I don't want to lose my friend," Mike said.

"Me either," Leon agreed.

"Thanks guys," I said.

"No problem," they said together.

"Man we got a whole lot of candy," Mike said as he looked into his bag.

"Yeah we do," I said.

"Yeah, and your sharing with me little bro," Leon said.

"No way. Get your own," Mike grumbled.

"No, but I could just take it."

"I have katanas."

"Yeah, they're not real doofus."

"If I could see in this Deadpool costume right now I'd…"

"I'd what?"

"I'd… I'd…"

"Uh-huh."

"You two are so weird," I said.

"We're brothers, it's what we do," Leon said.

"Yeah," Mike said.

"I get it," I said.

"I'm hungry," Mike said.

"You have a bag full of candy right there," Leon said.

"But I want some chimichangas."

We rolled our eyes and shook our heads as we walked away from Mike.

"Hey, wait up…. I can't see," Mike said as he tried to catch up.

All I could say is that this Halloween turned out to be one of the best.


	47. Chapter 47

AN: This chapter is based on Season 6 Episode 10 "The Good, The Bad, & The Baby". Thank's to everyone for following, favoriting, and reviewing this story. Here's the next chapter everybody, enjoy. Don't forget to Review. :)

Disclaimer: I do not own Castle or it's characters.

* * *

Little Friend

It was that time of the year again, a time to give thanks for everything we're grateful for and to stuff ourselves with scrumptious food. Yes, it's Thanksgiving and it's just around the corner. It was already getting cold outside with small flurries coming down, so I'm thinking this holiday season is going to be a cold one.

I was sitting at the kitchen isle, playing a video game on my tablet, waiting for Castle and Aunt Kate to come back from shopping. Things have been going great around here and I finally felt like things were practically normal. Alexis actually moved out with Pi a few weeks ago, so it was a little quieter than normal and I missed her a bit, but it's all good.

The door opened and in came Castle and my Aunt Kate with bags of groceries.

"Castle, I thought this was gonna be a small gathering. I mean… There's enough food in here for, like, 50 people," Aunt Kate said as she closed the door.

Castle came over, placing his bags on the counter and said, "Never underestimate the importance of leftovers second-day stuffing, turkey soup, microwave yams, and a visit to the food bank."

Aunt Kate put her bags down and said, "Okay."

"How was shopping?" I asked.

"Don't ask," my aunt huffed out.

I chuckled and she patted my head.

"And so that you know, Alexis always makes dessert. Pi said he would make a cranberry concoction of some kind. Even mother cooks something. It's not always edible," Castle said.

"I heard that!" Mrs. Rodgers said from upstairs.

"Well, you know what? I make a killer stuffing. And my dad makes a great traditional corn casserole," Aunt Kate said.

I mouthed the words, "It's not that good."

She glared at me and said, "You be quiet."

Castle chuckled and said, "Nice. And I know the perfect costume for you two, so you don't have to worry."

"A costume?" Aunt Kate and I asked together.

"Yeah, I'm gonna be, uh, settler John Rolfe, so you will, obviously, be Pocahontas his bride. Mini Beckett will be a cute little Indian girl. Alexis goes back and forth. Sometimes she's puritan, sometimes she's Native American. Just depends on where she is in her life. Your dad can be whichever. Nothing elaborate."

"Uh, so you guys dress up for Thanksgiving?" Aunt Kate asked.

"Doesn't everybody?" Castle asked.

"No, I think that's pretty special to you. Um… So is there anything else I should know about you before we get married?"

"So, many, many thing."

Aunt Kate's phone started to buzz and beep, so she pulled it out of her jacket pocket. She read the text message and said, "There's been a murder in a church downtown."

She started heading to the door and I decided to tag along. I was tired of sitting at home, I wanted something interesting to do.

"Oh. Too bad it wasn't in a cathedral. That would be so T.S. Eliot. Huh? _Murder In The Cathedral_? Thomas Becket? Beckett and Becket?" Castle said.

"Come on," Aunt Kate said.

"Nothing? Anyone?" Castle whispered.

"Let's go. Thank you," Aunt Kate whispered.

"I get it, Castle," I said as we walked out the door.

"Thank you," he said.

* * *

We arrived at the church and there was a dead guy, laying right in the middle of the aisle.

"You know, when we do this, let's not do the dead body in the middle of the aisle," Castle said.

"Okay. Good call," Aunt Kate said.

"That would be cool though," I said.

All I received were two equal glares that made me shrug with awkwardness.

"So what happened?" she asked Ryan and Esposito.

"Well, our victim entered the church during 6:30 mass with multiple gunshot wounds, made his way towards the altar before collapsing," Ryan said.

"But not before handing the priest a little something-something," Esposito said while hitching a thumb over towards Lanie.

"Mmm," Ryan mumbled.

Lanie turned around and in her arms was an adorable little baby. The baby had on a green hat and was wrapped in some blankets.

Castle gasped, walking over towards them, saying, "A baby!?"

"A boy. I'm guessing he's about 3 months. And he's hungry, 'cause he keeps going after the girls," Lanie said.

Castle took the baby from Lanie and said, "Well, who can blame him? Hi, buddy. What's your name, little man?"

I walked over and looked at the cute little baby boy. I've never really seen a little baby before and he was a cutie.

"That is a very good question," Lanie said.

"So, is this the baby's father?" Aunt Kate asked as she looked at the body.

"We don't really know," Ryan said.

"But what we do know is his name is Cameron Ducane, 30. Lived in the Bronx. There's no baby pictures in his wallet. He's got a commercial driver's license, probably drives for a living. He's got a car wash coupon, and like Ryan, spent his hard-earned money on a lottery ticket," Esposito said.

"That is the Five-State Magicball jackpot. At $247 million, you're crazy not buying a ticket," Ryan said.

"Yeah, 1 or 2. But not 50."

"I'm just increasing my odds of winning."

"Increasing your odds of being broke."

"Listen, do you have any idea what it costs raising a child in New York City?"

"I don't know how much it costs."

"Guys," Castle said.

"That's right. Of course you don't," Ryan said to Esposito.

"Guys!" Castle said once again, trying to get their attention.

"How about we don't fight in front of the baby?" Castle whispered.

Aunt Kate rolled her eyes at Castle with a small smile on her face and said, "Okay, contact Ducane's next of kin. Let's see if this little guy is indeed his."

"And then what happens to him in the meantime?" Castle asked.

"Well, we'll get a hold of Child Services, and they'll place him until we're able to get him back to his family," she said.

The baby started fussing and Castle said, "I think Lanie's right. I think he is hungry. Um, how about you finish up here, I'll grab a uniform, and we'll just go pick up some stuff for him?"

"You really want to do that?"

"Of course. Highly qualified. I have an RHD in childcare."

"And an RHD is…"

"Ruggedly Handsome Dad."

"Ah," Ryan whispered.

"Okay. Fine. Go," Aunt Kate said.

"I'll go with," I said.

"Great, the more the merrier. Hey, buddy let's go." Castle said as we walked off.

Castle grabbed one of the uniforms and the uniformed officer looked at Kate questionably.

"Don't look at her. Come on. We'll get ice cream," Castle said to him.

We left the church and headed out to get the little baby boy some food and anything else a baby needs.

* * *

Castle and I did a whole bunch of shopping for the baby, and I'm pretty sure that Castle went a little overboard on the stuff that the baby needed. We went to the precinct and the uniformed officer was carrying all of the items we bought for the kid.

"Hey. So, that's a couple of things?" Aunt Kate asked.

"Yeah, I just grabbed the essentials. You know, uh, diapers, a carrier, wipes, blankies, bottles, formula. Don't want little Cosmo going hungry," Castle said as he carried the baby.

"Cosmo, huh?" she said.

"Yeah. We can't just keep calling him "the baby.""

"Uh, why "Cosmo"?" Ryan asked.

"It's what I was gonna call Alexis if she was a boy," Castle said.

"Ah," Ryan mumbled.

"A turkey outfit? Really?" Aunt Kate asked.

"It's a turkey onesie. It's Thanksgiving. It was expensive, but it's adorable. And like I said, my family dresses up for Thanksgiving," Castle said.

"It's so cute," I said.

"Mmm-hmm," Castle agreed.

"Oh. I'm suddenly getting a clear and frightening visual as to what my future will look like," Aunt Kate said.

"That would be so cool to have a little cousin," I said.

Another glare earned from my aunt Kate and I shrunk back from her slowly. I was earning myself a lot of glares today, but they are well worth it.

"Hey, Castle, um, mind if I hold him? It'd be good experience for me," Ryan said.

"Oh, yeah, absolutely. Here. Good," Castle said as he handed over little Cosmo to Ryan.

"All right," Ryan said.

"Ready?"

"Oh, yeah."

"Uh…" Ryan groaned as he held the baby.

Cosmo started crying in his arms and Castle said, "Hold his head there."

"I know."

The baby was crying more and Castle said, "Okay, hold him under his…"

"I know. He's crying. What am I doing wrong?"

"Just try to remain calm. They can sense fear."

"This is not at all like the practice doll. I thought I was ready. Clearly, I am not," Ryan said as he handed the baby over.

"All right," Castle mumbled as he took ahold of Cosmo.

"Oh, God. I'm not ready," Ryan said as he walked away.

"Oh, he really likes you," Aunt Kate said.

"Oh, yeah. I don't know if you know this about me. Babies love me. I'm the baby whisperer," Castle said, then looked at Aunt Kate and asked, "Wanna hold him?"

"Uh, no. I'd rather figure out where he came from."

"Well, when a…"

"Stop. Stop. I know where babies come from, Castle. Just not this one."

"I can't believe you don't want to hold the baby! Everyone wants to hold the baby!"

"I don't want to hold that baby," Esposito said.

"Can I hold the baby?" I asked.

"Sure," Castle said.

He handed Cosmo over to me gently and made sure I held him correctly in my arms. The baby was a little heavier than I expected, but he was so cute. The little baby smiled up at me and I smiled down at him.

"Would you look at that? I think he's made a friend," Castle said.

"Looks like he likes you too," Aunt Kate said.

"This is awesome," I said.

"Guess I'm not the only baby whisperer around here," he said.

"That is pretty cute. So, I got a hit in the, uh, prison tattoo database. Check it out," Esposito said.

"Mm-hmm. Just like Roman described it," Aunt Kate said as she looked over the paper Esposito showed her.

"Yep. It belongs to one Jimmy Wolfinsky, a.k.a. Jimmy the Wolf. Suspected in a handful of bank and jewelry jobs. He was arrested seven years ago and convicted when a bank robbery went south. He just got paroled two weeks ago."

"Any connection to our victim?"

"Well, the bank that he robbed, Jimmy would have gotten away, but when he came outside the building, his getaway car was gone. Jimmy's partner bolted when the alarm sounded. Cops never caught him, and Jimmy never ratted, but witnesses were able to provide a sketch of the getaway driver. Look familiar?"

"That's Cameron Ducane, our victim," Castle said.

"Our mild-mannered limo driver had a criminal past," Esposito said.

"Looks like that past just caught up with him," Aunt Kate said.

I handed Cosmo back over to Castle and he placed him in the playpen he set up. Aunt Kate started putting things up on the investigation board while Esposito left the room. Ryan came in and sat on his desk, looking at the baby.

"So, it's a tale of betrayal and revenge. Cameron abandons his partner, Jimmy, when the heat comes down, leaving him to take the fall. Ridden with remorse, Cameron tries to put it all behind him, start his life anew. But, surprise, surprise, Jimmy made parole, after spending seven long years thinking of ways to make his old partner pay," Castle said.

"No wonder Cameron was adding locks," Ryan said.

"He didn't want to tell his wife about it because he didn't want her to know about his criminal past."

"That's a great theory, Castle. Except where did the baby come from?" Aunt Kate asked.

"Ah. Maybe… Nope, I got nothing."

"Hmm," Ryan hummed.

Esposito came in and said, "I just talked Jimmy the Wolf's parole officer. Jimmy's got an apartment in Queens."

"Okay, head up there, see if you can track him down. Whatever happened last night, he was a part of it," Aunt Kate said.

Esposito and Ryan left to go find Jimmy, while we stayed here with Cosmo.

Castle looked into the playpen and said, "Don't you worry, little Cosmo. These guys are the best. If anyone can find your folks, it's them."

"Except we have double-checked with hospitals, the FBI and the NCMEC, and nothing. If someone was missing their baby, wouldn't they have come forward?"

"Maybe they don't know he's gone."

"Or maybe they're not alive. I mean, we don't know what happened that night."

"Well, whatever happened, happened near that church," Lanie said as she came in.

"Lanie, what are you doing here?" Aunt Kate asked.

"I had some information. I thought I'd come by and check on my little patient. Hi, you little doodle bug. How you doin'?" she said as she picked Cosmo up.

"What makes you think Cameron was shot near the church?"

"Well, based on the nature and the severity of the wounds, your victim maybe had only five or ten minutes before he bled out."

"He couldn't have driven that far," Castle said.

"Twenty blocks, at most. I also found something unusual under his fingernails. Wax residue, charred nitrocellulose, and camphor," Lanie said in a baby voice.

"Nitrocellulose?" Aunt Kate asked.

"Yes. It's used to make celluloid. You can find it in old film stock, certain kinds of plastic, but it's highly flammable. Well, isn't it?"

"Charred celluloid? Where would that come from?" Castle asked.

"Beats me. That's your job. Right now, my job is to play with the little baby. Yes, it is! ," Lanie said.

* * *

Castle and I were hanging in the observation room with little Cosmo, looking at Jimmy in the investigation room.

"Hmm, see that man? That is a bad man. He's gonna confess. And we're gonna know just who you are," Castle said.

Ryan came in and asked, "Castle, mind if I try again?"

"Of course. Here you go," he said as he handed over baby Cosmo.

Cosmo started crying in Ryan's arms again and he said, "On second thought, I'll just wait outside."

Ryan handed over the baby and Castle said, "No problem."

"He's cute," Ryan said and left the room.

Castle whispered to the baby and said, "You did that on purpose, didn't you? High-five. Good job."

"Did you just high-five a baby?" I asked.

"Hey, he did pretty well," Castle said.

"He did do well," I said as I stroked the baby's soft little hand.

My aunt and Esposito went into the investigation room and sat across from Jimmy.

"Mr. Wolfinsky, do you recognize this man?" Aunt Kate asked.

"Never seen him before in my life," Jimmy said.

"Really? I think he looks a lot like your old partner the one who left you to get busted at that bank job seven years ago."

"Doesn't ring a bell."

"That's a grown-up lying. Get used to that," Castle whispered to Cosmo.

"Must have ate at ya, huh? All those nights in the joint. Knowing you were in there rotting away, while he was out there free, because he ditched you at the bank," Esposito said.

"Like I told the DA, I didn't have a partner. And if I did, I ain't no rat," Jimmy said.

"What about a murderer?" Aunt Kate asked.

"Cam's dead?" Jimmy asked.

"So you do know him," Esposito said.

"Yeah, okay, but I had nothing to do with this."

"The day you made parole, he installs a security system, gets all new locks. Now, why would he do that?" My aunt asked.

"Because I don't know, when I was convicted, I may have told some folks that, uh, Cam would pay. But that was years ago. Look, the truth is, I was the one who messed up that day. I got hung up inside, Cam waited as long as he could, longer than he should've. I told him that. He knew we were square."

"Witnesses at Cam's work say otherwise. Said you two were fighting. That afterwards Cam was scared to come back to the garage at night," Esposito said.

"What? Nah, it's just, I'm trying to get my life together like he did. I thought maybe he could put in a word with his boss, help me get a job driving."

"Well, that's funny. 'Cause witnesses say that the conversation was heated."

"Because he wouldn't help me. He told me he couldn't be around me anymore, that that part of his life was over. After all I'd done for him, keeping my mouth shut all those years, he couldn't even put in a good word? That's the last I saw of him."

"Mr. Wolfinksy, where were you last night?" Aunt Kate asked.

"I was with my girlfriend out in Jersey. I've been with her all week."

"What about this morning, between 6:00 and 7:00?" Esposito asked.

"We were having breakfast at a diner. People saw us. Look, I swear, this wasn't me."

"Have you ever seen this baby before?" my aunt asked as she showed him a picture of Cosmo.

"No. What's a baby gotta do with this?"

* * *

We were sitting at Aunt Kate's desk and baby Cosmo was in the lounge, in his new car seat. Ryan and Esposito came in and Ryan said, "Well, he's telling the truth. According to his girlfriend and a roommate, he spent the last few days at their apartment in Jersey."

"And a waitress at that diner places him there during the shooting window," Esposito said.

"Okay, well, if Jimmy was telling the truth, then Cam didn't have any reason to be afraid of him," Aunt Kate said.

"Then why was he avoiding the limo garage at his 3:00 a.m. lunch break?" Castle questioned.

"Maybe he wasn't avoiding it. Maybe something else was going on. Most limo companies use GPS services to track their vehicles. Maybe they can tell us where Cam was going all those nights."

"On it," Ryan and Esposito said.

"Uh, excuse me, Detective Beckett?" a lady asked as she came over.

"Yeah," my aunt said.

"Hi. Sandra Whitman, Child Services. Sorry it took me so long to get here. This time of year is always bad."

"Oh, no, uh, not a problem. He's right in the lounge."

"Oh, great, thanks."

"Um, uh… What's gonna happen to him?" Castle asked.

"County facilities don't currently have any beds, so we're working to find a foster family to take him. I'll let you know as soon as we do," Sandra said.

"Thank you." Castle said to her and turned to Aunt Kate, "I don't know if we should just be handing him over to strangers."

"Castle, we were strangers until this morning," Aunt Kate said.

"How can you be logical in the face of that face?" Castle said.

"Well, because I have to be. I mean, we don't know what's gonna happen to Cosmo. We can't get attached."

"Is that why you won't hold him?"

"Yes. Okay, Fine. I've never really been a baby person. I mean, some people see babies and they want to hold them, they want to nibble their toes, and I've never been one of those people, so…"

Wow, never thought Aunt Kate wouldn't be a baby person, but I guess that explains why she didn't see me a lot when I was little.

"Oh. I did not know that about you. I suppose you hate rainbows, too," Castle said.

"I don't hate babies, Castle. I just don't see the appeal. But I'm sure I'll feel differently when we have one of our own," she said.

"Will you? Will you!?"

"Cool, little Caskett babies," I smiled.

Castle smiled and said, "Very cool."

"So, do you think little Cosmo will be okay?"

"I hope so. I'd just hate to see him go. I think he's grown on me."

"Yeah, me too. I kinda feel bad for him."

"Yeah. I just hope he goes to a nice family."

"Me too."

* * *

I was walking through the precinct with Castle, Aunt Kate, and Ryan, while Ryan was talking about the case, "We scrubbed traffic cam footage from the Colfax Building between the time Cameron left his house that night to when he arrived at the church."

We reached Esposito's desk, where he was looking at the traffic cam footage and he said, "We found this behind the Colfax Building."

"That's his car," Aunt Kate said.

"Two guys are with him."

"3:57 am. Where are they going with that briefcase?" Castle pondered.

"Don't know, but then about 15 minutes later," Ryan said.

"Here they come. Same briefcase. It's a heist. And Cam is the wheelman."

"What's in the building?" Aunt Kate asked.

"Uh, high-end offices, a jewelry store, real estate, and law offices, a TV station and a couple of banks," Esposito said.

"I checked the blotter. There were no reports of any break-ins from anyone at that address," Ryan said.

"Well, they might not know they have been hit. Is there any evidence of the baby in the footage?" Aunt Kate asked.

"Nope. Only three men and a mustang."

"So where did Cosmo come from?" Castle asked.

"Must be from wherever Cameron was between 4:12 a.m. and when he was shot at 6:30. Canvass the area in Alphabet City where Cameron's practice route ended. See if you can figure out where those guys were holed up. Castle and I will head down to the Colfax Building. Someone down there must know what these guys took," Aunt Kate said.

* * *

I stayed behind at the precinct and spent time with baby Cosmo while the lady from Child Services tried to find a home for him.

"So, little Cosmo do you really want to go with some random strange people? No… Yeah, I understand. I also understand not having any family, but at least I had my Aunt Kate. That was lucky or I'd be in the same boat you're in," I said to him

He babbled happily and I said, "You're so cute. I wish I had a baby brother. I wonder if Aunt Kate will ever have a baby with Castle. That would be so cool. I wish you didn't have to go. I guess I'm getting a little attached."

He giggled some more and I spent the rest of my time with him, getting the most fun out of having a little friend before he had to go for good.

* * *

Aunt Kate and Castle came back a little while later and the three of us were sitting at her desk.

"You okay?" Aunt Kate asked.

"Yeah. I just keep wondering about whose blood that was on the wall of the hideout. And every time I think about it, I don't like how the story ends," Castle said.

"Well, I've contacted every business in the Colfax Building. No thefts and no missing babies."

Esposito came over and said, "Hey. We took another look at Jimmy Wolfinsky. If he is involved, we can't find a connection."

Ryan came over too and said, "I spoke to Cameron's wife again. There's no indication of any new friends in his life, but they were having money issues. They were on the verge of losing their house. So odds are, whatever he was doing, it was for the money."

"But there was nothing unusual in his phone records and no activity that night."

"Well, CSU's just getting started, and we're not gonna learn anything more until tomorrow, so…" Aunt Kate said.

"All right. Good night, guys," Ryan said.

"Good night" Esposito said.

They left and Aunt Kate said, "We should probably get going, too."

"You know, even though he had been shot, Cameron did everything he could to keep that baby safe. That doesn't seem like the actions of a bad guy," Castle said.

"Yeah, well, he's probably not a bad guy. He just made a bad choice and got in over his head. Now, come on, let's go home."

We were walking towards the elevator and heard a baby crying.

"Shh, it's okay. It's okay, shh. Hush, hush, hush," the lady from earlier said.

"Oh, no. What's wrong, Cosmo?" Castle asked as he went into the room.

"You're still here?" Aunt Kate asked.

"Yeah, I've been trying to locate a foster family, but because it's Thanksgiving week, no one's available. I'm gonna have to bring him to the County Crisis Center until I can find someone who can take him," she said.

"I thought you said there weren't any beds," Castle said.

"When it's this crowded, they have to double up."

"There's no other options?"

"That's the only place that can take an infant."

"Well, what if we take him?"

"Wait. What?" Aunt Kate asked with shock written on her face.

"That would be so cool," I whispered.

"Well, we've already bonded. I got all the stuff," Castle said.

"No, no! Castle, I told you…" Aunt Kate said.

"I know, I know, you haven't been around babies that much. Not a big deal. I got this. I'm the Baby Whisperer."

"Look, she's not gonna just give you a baby. I'm sure that there are background checks and forms that we have to fill out, right?"

"Not if the baby officially remains in the custody of the NYPD. And you guys have done an amazing job so far," the lady said.

"What do you say, Beckett? Wanna have a baby? Come on, It'll be fun!" Castle said with excitement.

The baby started crying and Castle said, "Sorry."

* * *

We got to bring little Cosmo home and it was awesome. It was like having a little baby brother, but a little baby brother who wouldn't stop crying. Castle was bouncing him in his arms, but it wasn't doing anything.

"This is so not fun," Castle said.

"Castle, if this is a part of your plan to turn me into a baby person, it's not working," Aunt Kate said as she flipped through a baby book.

"It isn't. Well, it was, at first, but he was so good at the precinct."

"I thought you were the Baby Whisperer."

"I am. There's something wrong with this baby."

"Ooh, okay, so it says here that "gently bouncing your baby should calm him or her down.""

He continued bouncing him and mumbled, "Okay, okay. Okay, okay."

The baby continued crying and Aunt Kate said, "I have an idea."

She left the room and Castle said, "Shh, shh. Okay… You're making me look bad, kid."

"He doesn't need to help you do that," I said while sitting on the couch.

"You shush. Anything you want, okay, buddy? You just tell me what it is, I will give it to you. Okay, shh."

"Okay, here" Aunt Kate said as she came back with a red medicine ball in her hands, "Sit. Bounce."

"Okay, okay," Castle said.

Castle started bouncing and Cosmo started calming down a bit.

"Ooh, it's working!" Aunt Kate whispered.

"Yeah. You're a genius," Castle said.

Aunt Kate clapped her hands together and all of a sudden the baby spit up on Castle's black t-shirt.

"Eww…" I said.

Aunt Kate stifled her laughter and Castle said, "Do not laugh."

"I'm not laughing," she whispered with a small smile.

"You do not laugh. Get me the towel," he said.

"Okay here."

"Here, take him."

"Huh?"

"Take him."

"Okay.

He handed Cosmo over to her and she took him carefully.

"Okay, thank you," he said.

"Here we go," she said.

"Here we go," Castle said as he tried to clean his shirt.

"Hey! Here we go!" she said making a funny face at the baby while holding him oddly.

She started to place him on the rug and Castle said, "Not on the rug!"

"Okay," she said.

She started to go place him on the chair and Castle said, "Not on that chair."

"Okay."

"Put him on the blanket. I hate that blanket."

"We're going to the nasty blanket," she said, laying him down on the blanket beside me and said, "Yeah. Okay, good."

"Hold him or he'll roll off," Castle said.

She turned back around quickly and said, "Yes, yes."

Cosmo started crying again and she said, "Castle, I think he needs a change of clothes."

"Uh, get him undressed. I'll get a onesie."

"Okay."

"Changing, changing," she said in a singsong voice and said to Castle, "And a new diaper."

"Uh, all right, switch."

"Yeah."

"Here. Okay," he said a she handed her the onesie, "Wipes. Lotion. Diaper. Onesie. And… Victory. You've done it. All right, you hold him."

"Okay, got him."

"Here we go. And I'll take care of this. Okay."

Castle went to throw away the dirty diaper and clothes while Aunt Kate held little Cosmo lovingly.

"Uncle Rick's pretty funny, huh? I think you're pretty funny, too," she said.

"Ugh," Castle mumbled as he chucked the dirty diaper and onesie.

Aunt Kate gave Castle a look and Castle asked, "What?"

"Nothing," she said.

"All right. Now all we have to do is get him to sleep."

* * *

I watched the two of them trying to get baby Cosmo to sleep all night. It wasn't fun when he woke up very three hours or so. We all wound up falling asleep in the living room, Castle was on the floor, leaning against the couch, Aunt Kate was curled up by his head on couch, and I slept on the other end of the couch.

I woke up when Mrs. Rodgers came in and Cosmo was fussing a little bit. She made Cosmo a bottle of formula and she picked him up. I moved over, so she could sit with him and feed him.

"Well, you are a hungry boy. Yes, you are. Good for you!" she said.

Castle and Aunt Kate started to stir and Mrs. Rodgers said, "Oh, well, look who's up."

Alexis walked into the apartment and said, "How long have I been gone?"

* * *

We all filled Alexis in on what happened and she thought it was pretty cool. Aunt Kate and Castle got ready to head into the precinct while I stayed behind at the house to hang out with the baby and to help Alexis and Mrs. Rodgers.

I loved hanging out with the baby. While Alexis was helping Mrs. Rodgers make some lunch I stayed with Cosmo and played with him. I decided to sing to him and settled on a tune that I couldn't get out of my head, " _Timmy is an average kid that no one understands. Mom and Dad and Vicky always giving him commands. Bed Twerp! Doom and gloom up in his room. Is broken instantly. By his magic little fish who grant his every wish. 'Cause in reality... They are his oddparents. Fairly Oddparents. Wands and wings. Floaty crowny things. Oddparents. Fairly Oddparents. Really mod, pea pod, buff bod, hot rod. Obtuse, rubber goose, green moose, guava juice, giant snake, birthday cake, large fries, chocolate shake… Oddparents. Fairly Oddparents. It flips your lid when you're the kid with Fairly Oddparents. Yeah right!_ "

He smiled softly and Alexis said, "Aww… He really likes you."

"Yeah, it's kinda cool."

"I think you'd make a great big sister."

"You think so?"

"Yeah, definitely."

"Thanks."

"You're welcome."

We continued playing with little Cosmo and hung out together. I liked these moments because it made me feel like I was a part of a big extended family.

* * *

A few hours later we got a call from the precinct to bring Cosmo in. turns out they found his mother and he was going to be heading back home. I was kind of disappointed that he was leaving, but I knew he was going back to where he belonged. I decided to tag along because I wanted to say goodbye to the little friend that was growing on me.

We arrived at the precinct and Alexis carried him in.

"Look whose here!" she said.

"Benny! Oh, my God!" his mother said as she ran to him.

Alexis handed him over to the mother and the father and she said, "My grandmother got him some new clothes."

"Hey, buddy," his dad said.

They looked at their son, Benny, with tears in their eyes. Even though I'm going to miss the little guy, it was so worth it to witness the moment of him being reunited with his parents.

I went to stand over by Aunt Kate and Castle at her desk, so I could let Benny's parents coo over him.

"Well, the good news is, I mean, besides saving that family, they are rolling over the lottery. So I got another shot at that $247 million. All I gotta do is tape my tickets back together," Ryan said.

"Oh, dude. They, uh… They already took out the trash." Esposito said.

Ryan bolted out of the precinct to go retrieve his tickets and Esposito pulled out the ripped up tickets from his pocket. He laughed and said, "I'm just gonna let him swim around the dumpster for like an hour, and then I'm gonna pull him out."

We laughed at him and he said, "Happy Thanksgiving."

"Yeah, you, too," Aunt Kate said to Esposito and then turned to us, "You know, I think I'm actually gonna miss little Benny."

"Well, who knows? Maybe in a few Thanksgivings from now, we'll have a couple Bennys of our own running around," Castle said.

"Hey, if you guys have kids in a few years, and I have kids in a few years, they can grow up together," Alexis said.

"And it's ruined. And the Turkey will be, too, if I don't get it out of the freezer. Come on, ladies. Chop, chop."

* * *

We were back at home and Castle was making our thanksgiving feast. It smelled delightful in the place and I couldn't wait to pig out on all of the Thanksgiving goodies. Aunt Kate dragged me into her and Castle's room and gave me an outfit.

"What's this for?" I asked, looking at the costume with bewilderment.

"It's a costume," she said.

"Well, I know that, but why?"

"Castle said that they dress up on Thanksgiving."

"Wasn't he joking?"

"Well, I'm not quite sure, but I'm pretty sure he is. So, I'm going to get him at his own game."

She pulled out her own outfit and said, "I got a pilgrim outfit for Castle to wear."

"Oh, that's cool. Yet this kinda sucks…"

"Blame Castle."

"I already do."

"Now, get dressed before dinner starts."

"All right," I said with a sigh.

I went into their bathroom and got dressed in the cute little Indian costume Aunt Kate got me. It was a cute little tan dress with a colorful design on it. I also put on the cute little tan boots my aunt gave me. It wasn't too bad looking, but I'd still like to eat in my own clothes instead of some weird costume.

I came out and Aunt Kate was dressed in her own Pocahontas costume. She smiled at me and said, "You look so adorable."

I blushed and said, "Thanks. You look pretty."

"Thanks. Let me do your hair."

She quickly put my hair into two short braided pigtails and helped me put my head piece on which had one tiny, colorful feather in the middle of it. She put her hair into braided pigtails too and put on her own head piece which only had a simple design around it.

"Ready?" she asked.

"Yeah, I guess," I said.

She chuckled a bit and then composed herself. She took my hand and we went out to the kitchen.

"Katherine, Emily, what on earth are you wearing?" Mrs. Rodgers asked us.

"Our outfits. Your family tradition?" Aunt Kate said, playing dumb.

"Yeah, uh… You do know I was kidding about that, right?" Castle said awkwardly.

Aunt Kate smiled slightly and said, "You know, I actually wasn't sure about that. So I figured, if this isn't a Castle family tradition, then maybe it should be."

She pulled out a pilgrim outfit and said, "Better put this on, pilgrim."

Aunt Kate pushed the outfit into Castle's chest and Alexis and Mrs. Rodgers chuckled at the situation. She high-fived Mrs. Rodgers as she passed by her and headed towards the kitchen. Castle got dressed in the outfit reluctantly and wasn't too happy at the predicament he was in, but he only brought it upon himself.

Eventually Pi and my grandpa showed up for the feast and we dug into everyone's special food. I have to say, this was a very interesting Thanksgiving dinner, but I really hope wearing these outfits don't become a tradition because this thing itches.


	48. Chapter 48

AN: Based off of one crazy dream I had. Thank's to everyone for following, favoriting, and reviewing this story. Here's the next chapter everybody, enjoy. Don't forget to Review. :)

Disclaimer: I do not own Castle or it's characters.

* * *

Clean Break

I decided to hang out with Mike and Leon today at an abandoned building by Castle's place. The abandoned building was huge and the railings, stairs, and wheelchair ramps were the best for our skateboards. This wasn't the first time we were here and we're lucky we haven't gotten caught yet. There was one railing we haven't tried yet because it ran the full length of the 15 steps to the entrance of the building. It's not like we couldn't ride the railing, I'd bet we'd all do pretty well on it, but one misstep and we're breaking something.

"I think we should try the big rail," Leon said.

"No way. We could kill ourselves," Mike said with worry.

"We aren't going to kill ourselves. Well, it depends, but still, I think we should try it."

"Fine, you try it first, if you're not afraid of winding up in the hospital forever."

"You're so dramatic, little bro. I promise we'll be fine. How about you, Emmy? Are you going to try it?" Leon asked me.

"I don't know. It does seem a little dangerous," I said.

"Since when are you afraid of a little danger."

"I'm not afraid of danger, but I'd like to live as long as I can and without brain damage."

"You have a helmet."

"A helmet can only protect you so much."

"Yeah, that's true."

"Are you going to do it Leon or are you backing down?" Mike asked his brother.

"Yeah, I'm going to do it. I'm not a scaredy-cat like you two," Leon said with a chuckle.

"Fine, but if you die, can I have your Xbox?"

Leon glared at his little brother and said, "A, I'm not going to die and B, you can't have my Xbox."

"All right."

Leon put on his helmet and secured it tightly to his head. We went over to the rail and Leon got ready to ride it.

"Be careful," I said.

"Don't worry, I've been doing this longer than you two. I can handle this, easy," Leon said.

Leon got his board ready and skated around us a few times before he hopped onto the rail and slid down it with ease. He landed swiftly on the ground below and lifted his arms in triumph. He got off his board and looked at the two of us who were still standing at the top of the stairs.

"Come on you two. I bet you both can do it," Leon said from down below.

"Okay, I'm no chicken. If my bro can do it, I can do it," Mike said.

"Careful Mike," I said.

"Yeah, yeah, I got this."

Mike went to the busted out window and got some momentum going before he slid down the railing. Mike did just as well as his brother and landed it easily. We both clapped for him and he took a dramatic bow. His brother pushed him softly as he let out a laugh.

"All right, your turn Emmy," Leon said.

"Okay, if you two knuckleheads can do it, so can I," I said.

"Go for it, Emily," Mike said.

I made sure my helmet was secure on my head and went back to where Mike took off. I let out a short breath of air and manned my skateboard. I pushed off and when I got close to the railing I hopped on. It was awesome and I felt like I could do anything. I got to the end of the rail and that's when things took a turn for the worst. My foot slipped a bit, which made my skateboard teeter to the opposite side. I couldn't get my balance back and I fell, but not without my foot getting stuck in the curved part of the metal railing. All I heard was a loud snap as I fell to the concrete below me.

There wasn't any pain yet, but I figured I still had some adrenaline running through my body. I dared not look down at my leg because I was afraid of what I might see.

"Holy crap," Mike gasped as he looked down at me.

"Is it bad?" I asked the two brothers in front of me.

"Do you want us to be honest?" Leon asked.

"That would be nice."

"Well, let's just say, you have a lovely bone."

"Oh gosh."

I willed myself to look down at my injured leg and saw my leg twisted at a ghastly angle with the bone sticking out slightly. There was a little bit of blood trickling down, but not a lot.

"What do we do?" Mike asked, looking scared.

"Call 911," I said.

"But we're going to be in so much trouble."

"I know, but I kind of want to go to the hospital."

"Okay, I'll call," Leon said as he took out his cell phone.

While Leon was on the phone Mike said to me, "So, did you have fun?"

I glared daggers at him and said, "What do you think?"

"I just thought we could make some conversation."

"Well, it's not helping and my adrenaline's wearing off. My leg hurts so bad…"

"What's it feel like?"

"It feels like I just broke my leg."

"I mean does it burn, tingle, or something of the likes."

"Yes, Mike! It burns and aches like hell. Now stop trying to make conversation."

"Somebody's moody."

"If I could move right now, I'd hurt you."

"Okay, before we have any more broken bones, the ambulance is on its way. Do you want me to call your aunt?" Leon asked.

"Yeah, but she's going to kill me," I said.

"I know, but she needs to know."

"Yeah I know."

Leon contacted my aunt as we waited for the ambulance, and I could hear her clear as day through Leon's phone; and it wasn't even on speaker. She said that she'd meet us at the hospital and they promptly hung up.

"She sounded super pissed," Leon said, looking frightened.

"I could hear," I said.

"Sorry we got you into this mess, Emmy," Mike said.

"It's okay, I wanted to do it. It's my fault."

"I hope you're okay," Leon said.

"Thanks, so do I."

The ambulance finally arrived and they placed me onto a stretcher. They told my friends that they couldn't come with us and Leon said he'd deliver my skateboard to me later. They loaded me up and we drove at a quick pace to the hospital. When we got there, my aunt and Castle were already waiting in the parking lot.

"Oh my god, Em," my aunt said.

"You know, I thought it wasn't going to be as bad as it sounded, but it's bad," Castle said as he looked at my leg.

"Yeah, but thankfully the pain in my leg is numbing because they gave me some epic painkillers for it," I said.

"All right, my little drug induced niece. We'll see you soon," my aunt said.

I gave them a thumbs up and said, "See you on the other side."

They shook their heads as I was wheeled off to the operation room.

* * *

A few hours later I woke up in a hospital bed with my leg in a large white cast, resting in a sling that was hanging from a large metal pole. I looked over towards my aunt and she said, "Hey, how are you feeling?"

"Fine, but my leg itches like mad," I said.

Castle handed me a large scratcher and said, "I bought this for you, figured you'd have an itch."

"Thanks Castle," I said as I scratched at my itch.

"No problem."

"I'm glad you didn't hurt anything else Em. You know you're in big trouble," my aunt said.

"Yeah, I know, but it was so much fun," I said.

"But now you're going to be in here for a few days and then in the house for a few weeks. At least until you can start getting around with some crutches," My aunt said.

"So I get to miss school," I said with a small grin.

"I'm going in tomorrow to get some of your school work."

"Aww man."

"You brought this upon yourself."

"Eh…"

"Just think I can help you out," Castle said.

"I'm going to fail."

"Hey, I can do some homework."

"Yeah, the last time you helped me with my homework I got a D-."

"Those questions were unfair. I mean, since when was Pluto not a planet."

"For like seven or eight years, Castle," I said.

"That's absurd."

"Okay, we'll make sure Castle doesn't help you with your homework. I'll help you," my aunt said.

"I don't want your help either," I said.

"Why, me? I know a lot of stuff."

"Yeah, but you get frustrated easily and start taking over. It's scary."

"I do not," she argued.

"I have to agree with her," Castle said.

"But…"

"It's fine, I'll have Alexis help me. She gets it," I said.

"All right, that sounds like a good plan," my aunt said.

"Yeah, I bet Alexis would love to help you," Castle said.

I nodded and Aunt Kate said, "We're going to let you get some more rest, Em. We'll see you in the morning."

"See you tomorrow," I said.

"Bye, mini Beckett," Castle said.

"Bye."

They left my room and I groaned in frustration. This was going to be a very long month and a half.


	49. Chapter 49

AN: Thank's to everyone for following, favoriting, and reviewing this story. Here's the next chapter everybody, enjoy. Don't forget to Review. :)

Disclaimer: I do not own Castle or it's characters.

* * *

Bedridden

I got home from the hospital today and Castle was going to let me use his bedroom because I can't get up the stairs. Castle and Aunt Kate helped me to his room, but I could pretty much wheel myself in there. They helped me into his bed, which was super large and comfortable. They propped my leg up on two pillows and helped me get settled in to what would be my new room for a couple of months.

"I hope you like it in here Mini Beckett," Castle said.

"This is a very nice room, Castle. Nice bed too," I said.

"Don't get to comfortable in here."

"I know, I'm only here until my leg heals."

"Yes, and don't mess anything up."

I smirked and said, "I'm an angel."

"We all know that's a lie," my aunt Kate said with a small smile.

"Please mini Beckett…" Castle said.

I nodded and said, "I'll make sure I keep your room spic and span. Plus, there's not much I can do anyway. I'm pretty much bedridden unless I have to go to the bathroom."

"That's true."

Aunt Kate handed me a piece of paper with a schedule on it and I asked, "What's this?"

"A Schedule. You'll follow it every day until you heal," she said.

"Almost everything on here is school work."

"Yes, I don't want you falling behind. There's not a lot you can do anyway. So I just want you to do something productive while you're pretty much confined to the bed."

"This is horrible," I said as I leaned my head back.

"Cheer up mini Beckett, I'm sure we'll have some fun," Castle said with a smile.

"I bet we will."

My aunt's phone started to buzz and she checked her text message.

"It's the precinct. I have to go," she said.

"Okay, I'll stay here with mini Beckett, so she's not alone," Castle said.

"Thanks. I'll see you later, Em."

Aunt Kate gave me a kiss on the forehead and then gave Castle a quick peck on lips. She left the room and it was just Castle and I.

"What do you want to do mini Beckett?" Castle asked.

"I don't know…" I sighed.

"Well, I could make us some lunch. How's that?" Castle asked.

"Sounds good."

"Okay, I'll be right back with some lunch."

"All right."

* * *

The rest of the day went by pretty quickly. We ate some lunch, Castle tried to help me with some homework, and I took a little nap. By the time night time rolled around, I was bored out of my mind. I had no clue what to do. I wasn't sleepy and I was tired of playing the games on my PSP. I browsed the internet, but there wasn't much I was interested in. I decided to snoop through Castle's bedside table and what I found was very interesting. It was a small notepad that he kept in his drawer. I looked at the title on the front and it said: "My Dream Book: Potential Story Plots."

I chuckled to myself. Did Castle really keep a dream journal next to his bed? I guess that's the creative mind of a writer, it's always working, whether you're dreaming or awake. I decided to flip through the book to see what Castle dreams about at night.

" _January 5_ _th_ _2009,_

 _First dream journal entry… This is weird, but okay… I can't remember anything… Oh right, I was being chased by a vicious taco in the middle of Manhattan. Then I had my pants pulled down by the taco and I tripped into a manhole where I became friends with a large rat. I don't think this'll make the cut into any of my stories, but now I'm craving some tacos. I wonder if I still have some leftovers…"_

I laughed at Castle's first entry. It definitely sounds like something Castle would dream about. I flipped a few more pages over and decided to read another journal entry.

 _"March 18, 2009,_

 _This was an awesome dream. Especially now that I'm spending time with that lovely Detective Beckett. I was helping her solve a murder in Central Park, but I kept calling her Nikki. I don't know why, but I think there was someone in a magazine with that name… Anyway, we were solving the murder and then I got to the suspects house first. I was able to apprehend the suspect easily and then Nikki, I mean Kate, kissed me for being so brave and it was great…"_

I smiled at that entry. So that's when Castle started to think about my aunt and his successful character Nikki Heat. Pretty interesting. I flipped through some more pages and landed on the next entry that looked pretty intriguing.

 _"December 15_ _th_ _2009,_

 _I haven't written in here for a while. There hasn't been any dreams that's been worthwhile to put in here. Tonight's though was too awesome to forget. I was visiting Santa in the North Pole and he asked me what I wanted for Christmas. I wasn't quite sure what I wanted, but I wished to spend more time at the precinct with Kate, Esposito, and Ryan. Then I popped into the precinct and everyone greeted me with warm smiles. We were drinking egg nog and listening to Christmas music. While we all chatted, Kate and I wound up under the mistletoe. I leaned in for the kiss, but then I woke up… I bet the kiss would have been fantastic… I'm going to go back to sleep and see if I can finish this dream. Oh and buy Alexis some Christmas presents before you wait until the last minute again."_

I shook my head and looked through some more. They were all pretty weird and wacky dreams. Until I wound up on one that really caught my attention.

 _"February 26, 2011,_

 _I had a dream about mini Beckett and Alexis tonight. We were all hanging out together in my house, but Emily kept calling me dad. We were playing videogames all night long and I felt like a big extended family. I would love Emily being a part of my family someday along with Kate of course. Maybe one day we could be one big happy family. I love them both to pieces and I wouldn't mind one bit if they moved in with me."_

Wow, Castle actually wanted this to happen. Not that I didn't want this to happen, but it's kind of cool seeing it in his own words. Maybe one day I will actually call him dad instead of Castle or Uncle Rick. It will be nice to have a father again, even though I didn't really have a father figure in my life since I was two. I read a few more, before my eyes started getting heavy, and I fell asleep dreaming of some very interesting things.

* * *

I woke up to Castle clearing his throat and looking questionably at me. I caught his glance and looked down at the book that was resting on my stomach. I forgot that I fell asleep pretty quickly and didn't put the notebook away.

"Got bored?" Castle asked.

"Sorry Castle. I thought it would be an interesting read," I said.

Castle took a seat next to me and asked, "Was it?"

"You have a very interesting imagination."

"You should talk mini Beckett."

"Yeah, I know."

Castle took the book from my hands and went through it.

"Which ones did you read?" he asked.

"Most of them," I said.

His face got a little nervous and I said, "Don't worry Castle, if you had any R-rated ones in there, I skipped over those."

Castle's face got red and said, "I don't… I didn't… Did I?"

I laughed and said, "I didn't see any Castle, but I don't know what you're dreaming about."

He chuckled slightly and said, "All right."

"Hey Castle?"

"Yeah, mini Beckett."

"Did you really want this to happen?"

"Want what to happen?"

"Us to become a family."

"Was that in one of my entries?"

"Yeah."

"I did want this to happen. I love you and your aunt very much. I'm glad one of my dreams came true."

"It seems like a lot of your dreams came true."

"Yep, most of them did. But this dream's my favorite."

"Mine too."

"I'm going to make us some breakfast and I think Alexis is stopping by later to give you proper help on your homework."

"Okay… And Castle?'

"Yeah."

"I love you."

"I love you too, Emily."


	50. Chapter 50

AN: Thank's to everyone for following, favoriting, and reviewing this story. Here's the next chapter everybody, enjoy. Don't forget to Review. :)

Disclaimer: I do not own Castle or it's characters.

* * *

A Family That's Chained Together, Fights Together

I was finally out of my cast and Aunt Kate thought it would be a good idea to get out for a while. I've been going to the rehabilitation center for about a week and my leg was doing pretty well. I was thankful to be out of that itchy and irritating cast. I was also thankful that I got to sleep in my own room again. Not that sleeping in Castle's room was so bad, but I missed all my stuff.

It's been awhile since Aunt Kate and I have been out together, just the two of us. I missed spending time with her and it was great. We stopped at a local restaurant and had a fun lunch together. Our day together has been filled with laughter and joy and I didn't want this day to end. We decided to walk through central park to bring our exciting day to a calm close.

"This is great," I said.

"Yeah, it is pretty nice. We haven't done something like this for a while," Aunt Kate said.

"I'm glad we can have moments like these."

"Me too."

"Can you believe that you and Castle are getting married next month?"

"No I can't. I never would have thought I'd be marrying Castle."

"Me either, but it's pretty awesome."

She smiled at me and said, "It sure is."

"Do I have to go back to school tomorrow?"

"Em, you haven't been in school for almost two months, you need to go back. I think you need to get out of the house anyway."

"Fine, but it's going to be weird going back."

"I know, but just think, in a couple of months it'll be summer break."

"That's true. I guess that's something to look forward to."

"Yep."

We started leaving the park and heard someone screaming for help in the distance.

"Help! Please! Somebody, please," a man's voice called out.

My Aunt and I ran towards the sound, finding a man bloody and bruised down an alley. We stopped at the entrance of the alleyway and Aunt Kate said, "Stay here, Em. Call 911."

I started dialing 911 while my aunt went over to the man. The phone rang and the operator said, "911, what's your emergency?"

I was just about to speak, when something covered my mouth. I mumbled incoherently into the cloth covering my mouth and everything around me started fading fast.

* * *

I started to regain consciousness and I woke up on a cold, damp floor. I went to move my arms, but they were handcuffed in front of me. I sat up and leaned against the wall behind me.

"Em, are you okay?" my aunt asked.

I looked over to my aunt, who was sitting right next to me. She was handcuffed too and she was looking at me with concern.

"I'm fine, Aunt Kate. Are you okay?" I asked.

"Yes I'm okay."

"What happened?"

"I think the guy we went over to help was a divergence. I think it was all a setup to kidnap us."

"Why would someone do that Aunt Kate?"

"Honestly I don't know. Until then, we're going to have to find a way out."

Aunt Kate got up and went to walk around the dimly lit room. She got a few steps before a chain rattled, stopping her in her place. I looked down at the floor and saw that my left leg was chained to her right leg.

"I guess we're chained together," I said.

"Yeah, looks like it. Guess this is better than being handcuffed to Castle."

"I bet you enjoyed it though. Didn't you get to play with a tiger too?"

"It was more like the tiger was playing with his next meal. Hopefully there are no tigers here."

I stood up and walked over to my aunt Kate.

"What do we do?" I asked.

"I don't know. Help me search the room," she said.

"Okay."

We looked around the room, checking every nook and cranny. I saw a small light shining through a hole in the brick wall and I went to take a look. I forgot we were chained together, so I got half way before the chain jerked to a halt, making me lose my balance. Luckily I was able to steady myself before I fell to the ground.

"Em, careful. We have to work together."

"Sorry, I wasn't thinking."

"It's okay. What do you see?"

"There's a light shining through that area over there."

"Nice eye."

"Thanks."

We walked over together, making sure we took it one foot at a time. When we got there we both squatted and looked at the opened area. Aunt Kate looked out the hole and I asked, "What do you see?"

"I can't tell. It kind of looks like a grassy area. There's another building across the way, but I can't make it out," she said.

"Can I see?"

"Sure take a crack at it."

I looked through the hole and I saw exactly what Aunt Kate described. There really wasn't much to go on. I sighed and looked back at Aunt Kate.

"Do you think we could pull out more bricks?" I questioned.

She shook her head and said, "No, they're all pretty secure. I think that was the only lose brick out of the whole wall."

"Maybe there's another area that we could check."

"I think it's pretty much a dead end in here, Em."

"You're giving up?"

"No… I just think we should think about this before we wind up setting something off, getting us both killed."

"I guess that would be a smart move."

"Yeah…"

She started looking around from where we were standing and I could see that her face was in deep thought. I leaned against the wall, trying to think about how we would get out of this one.

"There," my aunt Kate said pointing up at something.

I squinted and looked at the vent she was pointing to. It was a medium sized vent and I could probably squeeze through it, but I don't know how I could get up there.

"How do we get up there?" I asked.

"I haven't thought that through yet."

"Do you think we could break these chains?"

Aunt Kate took a knee and tugged on the chain. She looked at the shackle and shook her head.

"No… There's no getting out of these. They're pretty durable."

Aunt Kate leaned against the wall and slid down it. She let out a sigh and scrubbed her hands down her face. I sat next to her and said, "Don't worry Aunt Kate. I'm sure we'll get out of this mess. I bet Castle and the precinct are already looking for us."

"I'm sure they are. By the looks of it, it's already the next day. Castle would've noticed we didn't come home. Hopefully they know where to start looking," she said.

"Yeah, they'll find us. I just hope whoever has us doesn't kill us first."

"Try not to think about it, Em."

"How can I not? Every time I've been kidnapped I've been close to death."

"I know, but I'll protect you Emily. I won't let anything happen to you."

I laid my head against Aunt Kate's shoulder and said, "Thanks, Aunt Kate."

She kissed my head softly and said, "Anything for you, Em."

We sat there together, both considering the fact that something drastic could happen. Out of everyone I could be stuck with, I'm glad it's Aunt Kate because I know we're going to get through this together.

* * *

As far as I can tell, at least a few hours went by, but it could be more or less. I was starting to get hungry and sleepy, but I wanted to stay calm until we could get out of here. I looked over at Aunt Kate and she looked over at me, her hazel eyes shining with concern.

"They'll find us soon, right?" I asked in a whisper.

"I don't know Em. I hope so, we just have to stay calm," she said.

"I know, but it's starting to get dark out."

Aunt Kate sighed and said, "Yeah… Just try not to think about it. I'm sure the precinct is close to figuring this all out."

"We're on the inside and we don't even know what's going on."

"But maybe since the precinct is on the outside, they have more information to work with."

"We can only hope."

The lonely door in the far corner of the room unlocked and Aunt Kate and I flashed our eyes over to the dark metal door. The door opened and revealed two men in dark hoodies. Their faces were covered with a bandana and the only thing we could see as they crept closer was their eyes. They grabbed for me and I tried to pull away from them.

"Don't touch her," my aunt said as she tried to pull me out of the men's grasp.

The one man put a rag over my aunt's mouth, making her struggle against him until she went limp. The man laid her down gently and then unchained our ankles from each other.

"What are you doing?" I asked frightened.

They didn't answer me and led me out of the room. I looked back at Aunt Kate laying peacefully on the floor until the door slammed shut, shielding her from view. The men continued to usher me through the small building and we wound up at a big area with a large black curtain.

"What is this?" I asked.

"Shut up! Just stand here and don't talk before I tape your mouth," one of the men said.

I kept my mouth shut as I watched the two men opening up the black curtain before me. Once the curtain was raised, I was looking out at about a dozen or more people. There were men and women and they were all dressed to the nines. They were all murmuring to each other and pointing at the stage I was occupying.

"Is this like a black market auction?" I questioned.

"I told you to be quiet. Another outburst from you, I'm going to have to sedate you," the same man said.

A man in a nice business suit went up to the podium and started speaking, "Okay, we've already had three bids this evening. Fred bought three blood-red rubies from Africa for $1.5 million dollars. Jenna and Sam J. bought a Greek marble statue for $4 million dollars. The last bid we had a few minutes ago went to James P. who bought an antique vase for $12 million dollars. Give them a round of applause."

Everyone gave a round of applause and once everyone settled down, the man spoke again, "Okay, we have a couple of more bids this evening. Our second to last bid is this young girl on stage. She can smuggle anything you want in and out of the country. She can also be your own personal maid. Maybe send her to work at a sweat shop or do your dirty work. I don't know, but you won't be disappointed with this unique item. We don't get live ones around here to often. We'll start the bid at three-hundred thousand dollars."

Someone raised a paddle and said, "Three-fifty!"

"Ooh… three-fifty. Do I here three-sixty?"

A lady raised her paddle and said, "Four hundred!"

"Four-fifty!" A man in the back yelled out.

"Six-fifty," another woman yelled.

Watching people bid on me wasn't really fun. Who knows what these creeps would do if they bought me. I stayed quiet and watched as the bidding war kept raising the stakes higher and higher.

"We have $2 million dollars. Do I here another bid? Going once… Going twice… Sold to Olivia and Calvin B. Congrats you two," the auctioneer said as he brought down his gavel, closing out that auction.

The two men with hoods dragged me off stage and to a small open area. A couple walked in and I figured that they were the ones that bought me.

"She's a cutie. I think she'd do well," the woman said.

"I don't know Olivia… We may have to bulk her up a bit before we put her in," the man said.

"I guess she is a little scrawny than most of them. You can fix her up, right?"

"Of course. I am the best."

"I know."

"All right, uncuff her. We'll be taking her with us."

One of the hooded men started to remove the cuffs from me, while the other one reached a hand out to the couple. The man who bought me let out a large huff and pulled a check book from his suit pocket. He quickly wrote the check out and handed it over. The two hooded men gave a curt nod before they walked off. Olivia grabbed me and started leading me out of the building.

"You are so cute. What's your name?" Olivia asked.

"Emily," I said.

"Pretty name, I'm Olivia and this is my husband Calvin."

"Who are you people?"

"Oh um…"

The man sighed and said, "Listen kid, forget the life you had before. We're going to make you something big."

"Come on Cal, don't frighten the poor girl."

"She needs to learn what she's in for now. We own her, so stop coddling her."

"Okay," Olivia whispered.

They pushed me into the back of their large vehicle with tinted windows and Olivia said, "Put your seatbelt on."

I put my seatbelt on and looked out the window. I looked at the building in front of me and hoped that Aunt Kate would be okay.

* * *

A few days have gone by since I was auctioned off at that crazy bid. I've been staying with these two people for those three days and they haven't been horrible, but they aren't Castle or my aunt Kate. I missed them a lot, but I figured the precinct will come to my rescue eventually. I still wasn't quite sure why the couple bought me, but I have a feeling it wasn't for anything good.

"Charlie get up! You have to have breakfast before we go!" Calvin yelled.

They also changed my name to Charlie. I wasn't too fond of the name, but I wasn't going to complain. I want to stay on these peoples good side before I wind up getting into serious trouble. I went out to their beautiful kitchen and a plate of pancakes were sitting on the dining table. I sat at the table and started eating the pancakes diligently.

"Oh good, you're up. We're going to have so much fun today," Olivia said as she sat down with a cup of coffee.

"What are we doing today?" I asked.

"You'll see when we get there. It'll be very interesting…"

"Okay…"

The way she put what we were doing today sounded awfully suspicious. I bet whatever we're doing today is illegal and extremely nerve-wracking. I continued eating my pancakes in silence and tried to keep my fears at bay.

"Hurry up! We need to get on the road now before we're late!" Calvin yelled from the front room.

"Coming!" Olivia said.

She cleaned up our dishes and placed them in the sink. I followed her out to where Calvin was waiting and he ushered us to the car. We got in and started driving to an unknown location. We got to the location a few hours later and there were dozens of cars in the dirt lot. There was an old rundown shack and we made our way inside. The place smelled absolutely disgusting. It smelled like blood, sweat, and tears. I looked around the building and saw kids of all ages with their families or "families." We went up to an older gentleman at an old table and the man said, "Calvin, got a new one I see."

"Yes, I did," Calvin said.

"Think she'll do better than your boy?"

"Hope so, but we're going to have to wait and see."

"All right. How much you putting down? Don't forget the fifteen dollar entry fee."

"Three hundred and her names Charlie."

"Welcome Charlie, we're going to have fun."

"When's our fight?"

"You're first fight is in about fifteen minute. We have two before you."

"Okay, thanks Tim."

"No problem."

Calvin and Olivia pulled me over to another area and I said, "Is this some kind of underground fighting rink."

"Yes, it is. This is only for children though. Seven to fifteen years old," Calvin said.

"Is there age brackets?"

"Yes, you'll be fighting in the ten to twelve age bracket."

"This is insane."

"Trust me you'll be fine, just fight like you don't want to die."

"It's fight to the death?"

"Not all the time. Most of the times the ref will call it before hand, but sometimes we can't control it."

"You got this Charlie. I bet you'll do better than Eric," Olivia said.

"Was that your boy?" I asked.

"One of many."

"Stretch before you go out there. Need you limber," Calvin said.

"Fine," I said.

I stretched my body and looked at all the children around me. I couldn't believe I was entered in an underground fighting ring. This was horrible. I saw one of the younger kids exit the ring and he looked terrible. He had blood dripping from his mouth and he had a very bruised eye. He limped over to his "family" and got smacked on the back of the head. They started yelling at him and he started to weep heavily.

"Okay, you're up, Charlie," Calvin said.

He grabbed my arm and led me to the ring. Another man was helping his kid get into the ring and I felt my nerves picking up. She was a little bit bigger than me and looked like a scrapper.

"Don't let her get on you. Tag her first and hit hard," Calvin said.

I nodded slowly and stared down the girl in front of me. A ref came into the circular dirt ring and said, "Nothing is off limits. The dirtier the better. Now get ready, get set, and fight…"

He quickly exited the ring and the girl rushed towards me. I ducked and swung to the side to avoid her fist. She came at me again and I swung my fist. I connected with her face and she got a very angry look on her face. She swung for me and hit me dead in the jaw. I went down and let out a short huff of breath. I wasn't going to stay down, I was going to fight until I could see my Aunt Kate again. I got up and went for the girl. We wrestled each other to the ground and were throwing punches left and right. I finally was able to get on top of her and slammed my fists as hard as I could. The ref picked me up and off the girl and pushed me to a side of the circle. He helped the girl up and she was bruised and bloody.

I felt bad for hurting the girl, but I needed to make it through this. I need to survive, so I can eventually get out of here. They pulled the girl away and she stumbled to the people who brought her here. The ref came over to me, lifted my arm up and said, "We have a winner."

Some people clapped and some people mumbled incoherently to other viewers. I went back over to Olivia and Calvin and Olivia gave me a large hug.

"You did so well. I would have never thought you'd be able to take her out. She's been seven for zero in the past month," Olivia said.

"Yeah, she was a good fighter. Glad you came through Charlie," Calvin said.

"Thanks," I said.

I wiped the blood from my mouth and looked around the room. There had to be a place to escape, but should I really chance it.

* * *

A few hours went by and I was placed into two more fights. I was getting extremely tired and I was beaten pretty well. I was bruised all over my body, from my head to my toes and I didn't think I could make it in another fight. I heard a chopper hovering over us and everyone stopped and looked up.

"Is that a helicopter?" someone asked.

"It's the five-o. Let's get the hell out of here," someone else said.

Everyone started panicking and grabbing their children. The cops started swarming the place and grabbing who they could get, putting them under arrest. I was grabbed by the wrist by Calvin and he dragged me out the backdoor. He led Olivia and I towards the SUV and roughly pushed me in. I tried desperately to get out, but Olivia was holding me back. We drove out of there, but police vehicles were right on our tail. I looked out the back window and saw my aunt Kate in her car, chasing after us. Castle was sitting shot gun and I couldn't help the smile growing on my face. I was finally going to be free.

"Pull your vehicle over," I heard a police unit say.

"We're not going to make it," Olivia said.

"I can get us out of here," Calvin said.

We kept driving at a high rate of speed and we got to a bridge and our tires got blown out by what I assumed was spike strips. Calvin was barely able to keep control of the car before we skidded to a halt. Calvin reached for me and pulled me with him out of the car. There was dozens of officers with their weapons drawn, waiting for the opportunity to drop him. Calvin pulled me to the side of the bridge and I was hoping he wasn't planning on dropping me into the water below.

"Calvin Bennington, release the girl. Don't do anything rash," my aunt said as she continued to keep her weapon aimed at him.

"I'm not going to jail. I can't be with those lowlifes," Calvin said.

"Hate to break it to you, but your lower than half of those lowlifes," Esposito said.

We got closer to the railing and I could feel the shivers running down my spine. Calvin climbed over the railing first, and pulled me along with him. We were dangerously close to the edge and I heard everyone pleading with Calvin to do the right thing. Even his wife was crying out to him. He pulled me back and we went falling into the lukewarm water below. I swam to the top, choking out water as I bobbed up and down at the surface. I looked up and saw my aunt Kate diving in after me. She swam to me and I grabbed onto her for dear life. I knew how to swim, but I wasn't the best at it.

Aunt Kate swam us over to the side of the waterway and we laid in the mud, breathing heavily.

"Glad you found me," I said.

"I wasn't going to let you down. I'll always try to find you," Aunt Kate said.

"How did the precinct find you?"

"They figured out about the underground auction and raided the place. That's when they found me, but you were already gone."

"How'd you figure out where I was?"

"We tried to get a lot of the people from the auction to talk. We finally were able to get something out of the auctioneer which led us to Calvin and Olivia. We raided their house first, but then we found out about the underage fight rink. I'm thankful we got there in time."

I hugged Aunt Kate and said, "Me too. I don't think I could have handled living with them anymore."

She hugged me back and said, "I love you, Em."

"I love you too, Aunt Kate."

"Guys, are you okay?" I heard Castle say.

I looked up at him and ran into his arms. I gave him a huge hug and said, "I missed you too Castle."

"I missed you too, mini Beckett. It was weird not having you around."

"Yeah, it was strange living a completely different life. They even named me Charlie."

"Charlie? I like Emily way more."

"Me too."

"Why don't we get to the bridge and get checked out," my aunt said.

"Okay," I said.

We made our way back to the top of bridge and I was greeted by Ryan and Esposito. They both gave me small hugs and Aunt Kate and I got checked out by the EMT's. Thankfully we were both fine, except for my minor cuts and bruises from my fights earlier. I was able to go home, so that's what we did. When we got to our place, we all sat on the couch together. It was silent for a while until Castle broke it, "I'm curious… Did you win any fights, Charlie?"

I chuckled and said, "I did pretty well. I got banged up, but I held my own."

"That's my girl."

We all chuckled quietly and I was thankful to be back home. The one thing I learned from staying with the Bennington's is that I couldn't have asked for anyone better in the world to care for me. I can't wait for Aunt Kate's and Castle's wedding, and I'm going to make sure I cherish it forever.


	51. Chapter 51

AN: Based off of Season 6 Episode 23 and part of Season 7 Episode 1. Thank's to everyone for following, favoriting, and reviewing this story. Here's the next chapter everybody, enjoy. Don't forget to Review. :)

Disclaimer: I do not own Castle or it's characters.

* * *

Till Death Do us Part

Three days, that's all there was, just three days until my Aunt becomes Katherine Beckett-Castle. And Castle is going to become my uncle, which is super exciting. Technically, I already feel a part of the Castle family, but them tying the knot, makes it feel more official. Everyone was so giddy about this whole thing, and I didn't blame them, I'm feeling giddy myself.

Aunt Kate and Castle, Uncle Rick, were going to get their marriage license today. Sadly, I couldn't help out because I had school, but everyone pretty much had everything under control. We have an awesome venue, Aunt Kate has a beautiful dress, and Alexis is being a great best man, keeping all the boys in line and getting their tuxedos ready. This was going to be phenomenal, and I really couldn't wait until the most amazing wedding in history, well my history at least.

"You've been smiling like crazy all day. What's got you all happy?" Mike asked as he sat next to me in lunch.

"My aunt and Castle are getting married in a few days," I said.

"Oh yeah… I forgot about that. Bet it's pretty awesome."

"It is. I can't wait for it. It's going to be extraordinary."

"Well, I'm happy for you, Emmy. You've been through a lot."

"Thanks, Mike."

"Think you can snag me something from the wedding?" he asked with a smirk.

"I'll get you a fancy napkin," I said with a chuckle.

He glared at me playfully and said, "Oh, come on. You can do better than that."

"I'm going to behave at this wedding. No stealing, no trouble, just fun family moments."

"All right, I was just kidding anyway. Not much to get at a wedding."

"Well, it's an expensive wedding, you never know what you can snag while the guests are drinking at the open bar."

He chuckled and said, "Yeah, expensive Rolexes to pawn and pick pocketing from filthy rich wallets."

"Yup, then getting caught and being thrown in juvie."

"Very true. Well, have fun at the wedding."

"Thanks, I will."

* * *

Eventually, school was over and I headed home excitedly. I practically skipped all the way there, until I reached Castle's door. I went inside and Aunt Kate, Castle, Alexis, and Mrs. Rodgers were gathered around in the living room.

"What's going on?" I asked.

"Your Aunt is married," Castle said.

"Whoa… You're married!?"

"Ugh… it' was just a stupid thing I did when I was nineteen. I didn't think it was real," my aunt groaned.

"The two of them drove to Vegas, had too much to drink, and thought it would be a riot to take a cab to a drive-through wedding chapel," Castle said as I took a seat with everyone.

"You didn't?" Mrs. Rodgers asked.

"She did."

"Yeah, I did. But I never thought that it was for real. And I broke up with the guy a couple weeks later, after I found out he was a compulsive liar, degenerate, and a thief," My aunt said.

"Yes, but not before you tied the knot. And here I thought you were a one-and-done kind of girl."

"Does your father know about this?" Mrs. Rodgers asked.

"I really am gonna be sick," my aunt said.

The doorbell buzzed and Castle said, "And that would be my lawyer."

Castle let the lawyer in and they went to Castle's office to discuss matters further. I couldn't believe Aunt Kate was married and she did it at a drive through chapel in Vegas. Huh, my aunt had an interesting past, and I thought my mom was the interesting one. But I guess my mom was just further off the rails than Aunt Kate. Plus Aunt Kate got her life together and my mom didn't.

Hopefully, Aunt Kate is able to fix this whole debacle or there may not be a wedding, at least not anytime soon.

* * *

The next day came and Aunt Kate was going to Willow Creek to go find her husband and get a divorce. I hoped he signed those papers because it was going to be hard to postpone this massive wedding. She was getting ready to leave and I said, "Have fun with your husband."

She glared at me and said, "He's not my husband.'

"Okay…"

"Be good, okay?"

"I'll be good. I hope you get everything settled."

"Believe me, I do too."

"Stay safe, Kate. I hope you get this thing over with, so we can get married in two days," Castle said as he walked into the room.

"I will. Just be ready for the wedding."

"I will. And if you need any help, just give me a call. I'll be there as soon as I can."

"Thanks, Castle, but I think I can handle it."

"Yeah, she should know her husband better than anybody," I said.

Two glares were thrown my way and I smiled guiltily at them.

"I'll see you two later and hopefully with my papers signed, making me a divorced women."

"Well I can't wait for that. I'll see you later."

She kissed him briefly and said, "See you later," she turned to me and said, "Bye, Em. Be good for everyone."

"I will. Bye, Aunt Kate," I said.

She gave a short wave bye to us, and then she was out the door. Castle let out a soft sigh and said, "Do you think this will all work out?"

I shrugged and said, "I don't know, but I sure hope so. As long as she doesn't rekindle an old flame."

Castle choked on the coffee he was drinking and coughed out, "Wha… What!?"

"Don't worry Castle, I bet you're the real catch."

"But… Uh… You don't think?"

I chuckled at him as he babbled confusedly and said, "Don't worry Castle. I think everything is going to be just fine."

I walked off to my room and Castle was still standing in the kitchen, looking flabbergasted and confused. I'm sure aunt Kate wouldn't go after an old flame and the way they described him, he didn't sound like that great of a guy anyway.

* * *

That night, Ryan and Esposito came over to try on their tuxedos. I was sitting on Castle's bed, watching Castle and Esposito fixing their suits.

"Which one?" Alexis asked Esposito as she showed him two bowties.

"The easy one, which is this one. Thank you," he said as he picked the tie on his left and then turned to Castle as he put it on, "Any news from Beckett?"

"Uh, she texted me a couple hours ago said she'd found him, but I haven't heard from her since," Castle said as he fixed one of his cuffs.

"Maybe they're catching up."

"Sure…. No, sure… They got a lot in common. She can talk about all the people she's put in prison, and he can talk about all the people he's met in prison. "

Ryan came out of Castle's bathroom and said, "Um, Alexis, I haven't gained this much daddy weight."

We all chuckled at the very tight and short fitting suit on Ryan, but Alexis looked mortified. She went up to him and said, "That can't be right. I double-checked the size 10 times."

"Hey, maybe you finally hit that growth spurt you've been waiting on, bro," Esposito said.

Castle's phone started ringing and he said, "Oh. And that's her."

Castle left the room and closed the door behind him, going to talk to Aunt Kate privately. Alexis was still trying to figure out what happened with Ryan's tux and Esposito and I were still chuckling at the sight before us. I just hope aunt Kate comes back soon and this wedding will go off without a hitch.

* * *

I got woken up in the middle of the night and apparently we lost our venue for the wedding. The way things are going right now, I have a horrible feeling about this whole thing. Maybe Aunt Kate and Castle aren't meant to get married.

"We lost our venue? How is that even possible?!" Alexis said as she went down stairs.

Mrs. Rodgers and I followed behind her and Castle said, "They had a circus party there tonight with some first-time fire breathers. Now our rooftop venue does not have a floor."

"This is a disaster."

"No place to get married and no one to get married to. I think "disaster" is an understatement."

"So-called "disaster" is merely opportunity in disguise. We'll just find another place to hold the wedding," Mrs. Rodgers said.

"Are you kidding? Where are we gonna find a venue in Manhattan that holds 300 people in less than two days?"

"Ooh! We already have one. Not in Manhattan. We can move the whole party to our house in the Hamptons," Alexis said happily.

"Yes. Yes! We've held larger parties than this out there."

"We rent luxury buses to shuttle our guests and pay the vendors' transportation costs."

"Brilliant! I will call the housekeeper first thing in the morning and have them start getting the place ready," Mrs. Rodgers said.

"You really think we can pull this off?" Castle asked.

"Oh, please! I once staged "A Chorus Line" on a subway platform when our company lost its space. I think I can move a wedding. Alexis and Emily will help with everything. You just make sure Katherine finds that deadbeat husband of hers. Yes."

Castle left, going to help Aunt Kate find her missing husband, and we went off to bed, getting ready for a rough day ahead of us to prepare for a wedding in the Hamptons.

* * *

The next day came around and Mrs. Rodgers, Alexis, and I were trying to get the Hamptons ready for the wedding. Alexis and Mrs. Rodgers were on the phone the whole morning, calling guests, transportation, the Hamptons maid, caterers, and everything else you'd find at weddings.

As soon as they finished calling everyone they needed to, we headed to the Hamptons to help prepare for the wedding. It was coming along great and it was beautiful. I couldn't keep my eyes off the ocean as it came to shore and then receded back, over and over again. I've never actually been to the beach before and now that Aunt Kate is marrying Castle, maybe we'll come here a lot to spend time together.

"Isn't it beautiful?" Alexis said as she came over to me.

"Yeah," I said.

"Maybe we can go to the beach sometime. Now that you're going to be my little cousin."

"That would be great."

"Come help me with a few things."

"Okay," I said with a nod.

I took one final glance at the ocean and then went off to help Alexis.

* * *

It was finally the day of the wedding and Aunt Kate got everything figured out. She told me all about her crazy time in Willow Creek, whilst trying to get the divorce papers signed. She also told me how her boyfriend got kidnapped by some mobster and how they ran into a biker gang, who potentially saved them from the mobster because they got the reward money for turning him in. Sounds like a crazy two days to me.

Thankfully it's all over and time is running down to the moment we've all been waiting for, a beautiful wedding. I was getting dressed into my light blue dress and I slipped my white flats on to my feet. I was so happy for this day, I couldn't stop grinning from ear to ear. I tucked a stray piece of hair behind my ear as I looked at my reflection in the mirror. I gave myself one last big grin before I skipped off to the room my aunt was occupying.

I went inside and she was just getting off the phone. She looked at me and smiled wide, "You look so pretty, Em."

"Thank you, Aunt Kate. You look beautiful," I said as I looked at her in her stunning wedding dress.

Aunt Kate pulled me to her and gave me a big hug. We both held each other close and she said, "I can't believe this day has finally come."

I looked up at her as we hugged and said, "Me either, but I'm happy for you two. This is the best day ever."

"Yes it is. I'm glad you're here to share this day with me."

"Me too, I wouldn't want to miss this. I love you, Aunt Kate."

"I love you too, Em."

"Come on, don't make us cry. I don't want my make up to run," I heard Lanie say from behind me.

I turned around and Mrs. Rodgers, Alexis, and Lanie were standing in the doorway with small smiles. Alexis was wearing a dark purple suit, Lanie was wearing an emerald green dress, and Mrs. Rodgers was wearing a multicolor dress.

"You two look so pretty," Alexis said with a smile.

"Yes they do. It's like a picture perfect moment," Mrs. Rodgers said.

"Yes, we're going to have to take lots of pictures at the wedding and reception," Lanie said.

My aunt chuckled a bit and said, "Now all we have to do is wait for Castle."

* * *

We were all waiting in the bedroom, but Castle still wasn't here yet.

"It's been an hour already, and the natives down there are getting restless," Lanie said.

"Where do you think he is?" Mrs. Rodgers asked.

"I don't know. When I spoke to him last, he said he was less than 20 minutes away," my aunt said as she tried to call him, "Straight to voice-mail."

Her phone started ringing and she picked it up immediately, "Hello? Yes. This is she."

My aunt turned back with her eyes wide and soon we were all leaving the wedding venue. We all drove in separate vehicles and I was with Alexis and Mrs. Rodgers. We got to an accident site and my aunt looked distraught at the sight before her.

"Oh, my God," Mrs. Rodgers said, looking at Castle's car engulfed in flames.

Alexis held me close to her as I watched my aunt drop to her knees by Castle's car. I didn't know what to do, I wanted to cry, I wanted to scream, and I wanted to comfort my aunt, but all I did was stand there, watching from afar. It was horrible and I couldn't believe this. We were finally going to be happy and then something happens, ripping it all away.

* * *

The firemen came and put out the fire in Castle's car quickly. My aunt went over to look in and she said, "It's empty. He's not here. He's not in the car."

We were all relieved, but if he's not here, where is he, or who has him.

My aunt came up the small embankment and Esposito asked, "You sure he's not in the car?"

"Even with a fire that hot, there'd still be a body. He's gotta be nearby," Aunt Kate said.

Mrs. Rodgers, Alexis, and I went up to her and Mrs. Rodgers asked, "You really think he is here?"

"He has to be. We have to start a search."

"We could use more men," Ryan said.

"Sergeant!" she called and a man came over quickly, "I'm Detective Beckett, NYPD. The man that was in that car is one of our own. We need to scrub every inch of this area."

"I'll get my men on it," he said.

"You have search and rescue dogs?" Ryan asked.

"I'll call them in."

"Okay."

"I need to help them," my aunt said.

"You're no use to anyone dressed like that. We'll get started here, you go change," Esposito said.

"Come on, let's get you into some other clothes," Mrs. Rodgers said as she grabbed my aunt's hand.

"Okay, I'll be right back," Aunt Kate said.

We left the accident scene and headed back to the house in the Hamptons. We got dressed in our regular clothes and as soon as Aunt Kate was done, she left to go help out in the investigation.

* * *

Mrs. Rodgers, Alexis, and I were all sitting around at Castle's apartment, hoping the precinct would get to the bottom of this whole thing. This is one of the most horrible things that's happened in the past three and a half years that I've been a part of this whole family.

"He'll come back," Alexis said sadly.

"Of course he will, darling. Your father will be home before you know it," Mrs. Rodgers said.

* * *

A few hours later, Aunt Kate came by with some photos she got from surveillance cameras.

"And these images were taken after the accident? The car fire?" Alexis asked as she flipped through the photos.

"Yes," Aunt Kate said with a small nod.

"So he's alive. He's not being held captive by God-knows-who," Mrs. Rodgers said.

"Wait, are you saying Dad was run off the road by an SUV, and after that, he paid to have it crushed?" Alexis asked.

"It looks that way, yeah," my aunt said.

"Well, that's ridiculous. Why on earth would he do such a thing?" Mrs. Rodgers asked.

"Was he going through anything that I didn't know about?"

"Like what?"

"Pressure that he was under that he kept to himself."

"Of course not. Right, Gram?" Alexis questioned.

"No, no, no, no. I would have noticed," Mrs. Rodgers said, shaking her head vigorously.

"And what about the wedding? Did he have any misgivings?" Aunt Kate asked.

"Misgivings? Katherine… that was the farthest thing from his mind. He couldn't wait to be married to you."

"You don't think he'd just walk away, do you?" Alexis asked,

"No," Aunt Kate said with a sad smile.

"Then what's going on here?" Mrs. Rodgers asked.

"I don't know. But there's gotta be another explanation."

Aunt Kate took the pictures and left the apartment. We sighed and went back to waiting, just like we've been doing.

* * *

It was late at night and I couldn't sleep. How can you sleep when your whole world's been flipped upside down? I went downstairs and I heard my aunt Kate sniffling softly as she looked through papers in the living room. I slowly walked up behind her and watched her shuffle through case files, photos, and papers pertaining to Castle's disappearance.

She put her head in her hands and cried softly. I haven't seen her this emotional since this whole disaster went down and I guess it was finally hitting her. I sat next to her and I felt her tense up, not knowing that I was there. She looked over at me with glossy eyes and all I did was embrace her into a tight hug. She kissed my forehead and we stayed there on the couch, holding each other closely.

I didn't know if we were going to find Castle or if everything was going to be all right, but as long as I have my family, everything will be okay.


	52. Chapter 52

AN: Mentions drugs and underage drinking. Thank's to everyone for following, favoriting, and reviewing this story. Here's the next chapter everybody, enjoy. Don't forget to Review. :)

Disclaimer: I do not own Castle or it's characters.

* * *

Trouble

It's been a month since Castle disappeared and everyone was still looking for him. Most of his trail went cold, but Aunt Kate wasn't giving up. She was determined to find him. She rarely stays at Castle's place anymore, she's usually at her old apartment or working ghastly hours at the precinct.

Alexis and Mrs. Rodgers have been having a hard time. They've been trying to keep themselves busy with other things, so they didn't have to focus too much on his disappearance. I felt bad for them. Not knowing Castle's whereabouts is hurting us all inside. Hopefully we find him soon or he comes back on his own. I feel like I'm alone right now and everyone's been pretty busy with things, so I'm just left behind.

And everywhere I go seems to have something pertaining to the missing writer. There were newspapers and news programs talking about his disappearance. It was horrible and sometimes I just wanted to hide away and forget about all of this, but I couldn't do that. It's still clear in my mind and even if I did avoid the papers and the news, I'd still be reminded of him, especially since I live in his home.

The worst part about this whole thing though is that everyone missed my birthday. Since everyone's been so worried and busy lately, they completely forgot about it. The day after my birthday, it took several times to bring it up, until they actually realized it. They apologized, but they were still down in the dumps, so it wasn't that cheerful. I understood, I was pretty down myself, but it would have been nice to have a special card or birthday wish. I might be asking for a lot, but I think it would have boosted my spirits for at least a little bit on my special day.

Today though, Mike and Leon invited me to hang out with them. It was in a desolate area that people don't really go anymore. It was a pretty shady place and there was a lot of brush and woodlands surrounding a little rundown shack. We couldn't get into the little shack because it was pretty boarded up, so we stayed outside the building. Leon had some other friends with him and they were all older high school boys.

I felt a little uncomfortable at first, but after a while, I started to warm up to them. They were nice guys, a little rowdy, but they were entertaining. As we sat around the small fire that the older boys set up in an old trash can, Leon started talking to me, "Did they find anything yet?"

"No… They've pretty much hit a dead end in the case," I said.

"Sorry to hear that."

"It's fine. I came out here to escape that though… I don't want to think about Castle's disappearance."

"Wait, you know that writer that went missing?" Jasper, one of Leon's friends, asked me.

"Yes… He was going to be my uncle."

"Sweet!"

"Is it true that you've been abducted a lot and you almost died?" Troy, Leon's other friend, asked.

"Come on… Don't ask her that," Leon said.

"It's fine. I have been through a lot. I've been taken several times and I had amnesia once. I've also been buried alive. I admit, I've had a hectic four years," I said.

"Wow, you're like super cool. Most little kids are boring and cry babies," Jasper said with a snort.

"Yeah, we usually give them swirlies before or after school. A bunch of losers," Troy chuckled.

"You guys seem like jerks," Mike said.

Leon hit him upside the head and said, "Shut up. You're lucky your even here. Middle schoolers would give anything to hang out with us high schoolers."

"Yeah… I know."

"So, what are we gonna do? I didn't come here to sit and chat," Jasper said.

"I couldn't break into my father's liquor cabinet today. Could have gotten some more booze like last time," Troy said.

"I brought some left over firecrackers we had from New Years," Leon said as he took them out of his bag.

There were so many different types of firecrackers there, big, medium, and small. It seemed dangerous, but it sounded kind of fun.

"Sweet! Aren't some of these illegal?" Jasper asked.

"Um… I think so. Not real sure," Leon said with a shrug.

"I have my lighter with me, so we can light 'em up."

"Awesome."

"Here, I'll help set them up," Troy said as he grabbed some from Leon.

The three teenagers started setting up the fireworks and Mike and I watched in awe. Who would have thought we'd be hanging with high school kids and doing illegal things? If Aunt Kate ever found out about this, I think I'd be more than grounded. I leaned over to Mike and asked him a question, "Do you think this will end well?"

"No, knowing my brother and his new stupid friends, they're going to mess something up," Mike said with a chuckle.

"Yeah, they don't seem too bright."

"Nope, Jasper got held back twice. He's barely passing this year. They're a bunch of imbeciles."

"Then why are we hanging with them?"

"I want to be cool. And my brother and his friends won't give me any wedgies or swirlies."

"I guess that's good, but your brother should be nice to you."

"He is when they aren't around. He just wants to fit in. High school is hard."

"Yeah, school in general is hard."

"True that."

"Come on you two losers, help us out over here," Troy said loudly from where he was setting up another firework.

We walked over to them and Jasper and Leon gave us both a small firework.

"You two do the honors and put the last two fireworks over there," Jasper said.

We nodded and went over to the spot that he mentioned. We both set up our firework and walked back over to the older boys.

"All right gentlemen and lady, let's get this show on the road," Jasper said.

He took out his lighter and lit up the first small one on the ground. We all took a step back and watched as the spark climbed the string at a fast speed. Once it reach the end, the firework made a small popping sound and whizzed into the air. It went pretty high before it exploded and lit up the partially dark sky. It wasn't late yet, but it was starting to get a little dark outside, so we could see the colors vaguely.

"That was pretty awesome," Troy said.

"Let's do some more," Leon said.

"Okay," Jasper said.

* * *

By the time we finished lighting them all up, it was already around seven o'clock at night. We were all sitting around the small fire again and the older boys were cracking themselves up. Well it could be the weed they were smoking, but they seemed pretty mellow and happy. Someone's phone started buzzing and it turned out to be Jaspers. He looked at the screen before he picked it up and said, "Hey, Chad. Yeah man… No you didn't… Seriously, that's freaking awesome… We're at the spot… Yeah, the spot… Nah not that spot, the other spot… Yeah that one… Okay, see you soon, dude… Bye…"

"Is Chad coming?" Troy asked with a raised brow.

"Yup and he got some booze. Man this day couldn't have been any better."

"This is like our normal day," Leon said.

"Huh, yeah I guess it is. Ha-ha, man this is so dope."

"Maybe we should go," Mike whispered in my ear.

"Why?" I asked.

"Do you really want to be around four drunk and high teenagers?"

"I don't want to go home yet."

"Fine… but if they get out of hand we're leaving."

"All right."

"Hey, what are you telling her, turd?" Jasper said as he sat between us.

""Nothing," Mike said.

Jasper pulled him close to him and said, "Is she your girlfriend?"

"Awe…" Troy said from across and started making kissy noises.

"Shut up," Mike mumbled.

"Awe, you're all embarrassed. You like her," Jasper said pinching his cheeks.

"No... She's just a friend."

"Awe what a shame. She's so cute too."

I blushed a bit and Mike said, "Leave us alone."

"You need to mellow out, Mike. Here have some."

Jasper handed him the blunt and Mike shook his head no.

"Come on… It's fine."

Mike looked at his older brother for help and Leon said, "It's not gonna hurt baby bro. Try it, you're almost thirteen."

Mike looked at it for a bit and let out a sigh. He took it into his fingers and said, "Just one puff."

"That a boy," Jasper said as he squeezed Mike's shoulders.

Mike put the blunt to his lips and took a hit. He coughed hysterically and all of the boys started laughing at him. Jasper took it back and went to sit by Troy again.

"You okay?" I asked Mike.

He nodded slowly and still coughed a bit.

"That's so gross," he said groggily.

"Ha-ha, you'll get used to it. Just keep hanging out with us and you'll get the hang of it squirt," Troy said.

"Yay, I get to be a part of a bunch of burnouts."

"Shut up, before I pound you, got that?"

"Yeah…"

"Yo, where ya at?" a voice sounded from afar.

"Just follow the weed dude," Jasper laughed.

"You guys are so stupid," the guy said as he came into view.

"Nah, you're stupid for hanging out with high schoolers," Troy said.

"Well if I wasn't cousins with this dumbass, I'd be going to my college parties."

"Yeah, the ones you ain't invited to," Jasper said with a snort.

"Hey, the best part of a party is the people who crash the parties."

"Best logic ever."

"Who are the little twerps?"

"That's Leon's brother Mike and that's his girlfriend, Emily."

"She's not my girlfriend," Mike grumbled.

"Well nice to meet you little dude and dudette," Chad said with a small smirk.

"You to Chad," I said.

Chad started passing out beer cans to his friends and then he handed one to Mike and I.

"We're twelve," Mike said.

"So, I started when I was eleven. Not like there's anyone here to bust us," Chad said.

Mike and I looked at the beer and I wondered if I should do it. I'm pretty sure no one at home would notice. Aunt Kate is rarely there and I could usually sneak back into my room.

"Don't do it Emmy," Mike said.

I shrugged and said, "One can't hurt, right?"

He bit at his lip and said, "Yeah, sure."

"There you go. Woohoo, party bros," Chad screamed loudly.

The beer tasted nasty and I only had a few sip before I poured the rest out. I don't think anyone really noticed because they were all pretty out of it. I felt bad for Mike, he started on one beer and then he went onto another. He wasn't looking to hot, but he was having fun with the rest of the guys. I guess the alcohol and weed mellowed him out a bit.

"Yo, I got some sweet whiskey too. How about some shots you little delinquents," Chad said.

"I don't know…" Mike said as he swayed in his spot.

"Not you little man, I think you're done," Chad said with a laugh.

"Yeah bro, I'm gonna have to carry your but home. Hopefully mom and dad won't be up," Leon said.

"Yup," Mike said as he hiccupped.

The guys laughed at him and they filled up their cups with a couple of drops of the amber liquid. Chad raised his glass and said, "To my three little shit head high school delinquents."

"Hear, hear!" the three boys yelled.

They all drank back the liquid and groaned after it went down.

"Ugh… it burns," Troy said.

"Yeah… Ew, so gross," Leon said.

"Ha, you guys are such newbs," Chad chuckled as he poured himself another shot.

"Hey… You know what would be fun?" Jasper asked.

"What?" Troy asked with a grin.

"We burn down this shitty shack."

"Whoa so cool. It'll be like a huge bonfire," Leon said.

"Yeah, let's do it."

"I'll pour some of the liquor on it," Chad said as he made his way over towards the shack.

He pulled off the cap from the bottle and splashed the liquid onto parts of the shack.

"Um… This is a little dangerous guys," I said, standing up to them.

"Don't be a party pooper, Emily. It's fun," Jasper said as he poked me in the shoulder.

"Don't… Don't' touch her," Mike said as he tried to stay steady on his feet.

"Whatever," Jasper said as he walked away.

"Mike you don't look so good," I said.

"I feel horrible," Mike said.

Mike's eyes went wide and he ran over to a tree where he started to puke.

"You're bro is puking, Leon," Troy said.

"Great," Leon said.

Jasper took out his phone and started taking pictures, "Oh man, this is funny as hell."

"Come on, leave him alone. You could all go to juvie you know," I said.

"Yeah, so what. Wouldn't be my first time there, and you'll be right there with us."

I huffed and said, "Just give Mike some space."

"Standing up for your boyfriend is so adorable," Jasper said as he patted my head.

"He's not my boyfriend," I said.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah… Whatever you two say."

"Jasper, lets light this up," Chad said by the shack.

"All right," Jasper said as he went over to him.

"Do you have some paper?"

"I do," Troy said.

Chad took it and held it out for Jasper to light. Jasper flicked on his lighter and lit the paper up. Chad threw the paper onto the shack and it went up in flames. It was so bright and hot that I had to back up a bit.

"Holy hell, that's freaking awesome!" Jasper practically screamed.

"Wow, it's so bright. It's sweet!" Leon said with wide eyes.

"Man I wish we had some s'mores," Troy said.

I shook my head at the drunk and high boys who watched the flames in amazement. I walked over to Mike who was leaning against a tree haphazardly.

"You feeling all right?" I asked him.

"Better now that I've puked out my guts," Mike said with a weak smile.

"I guess that's good."

"Yeah… So he took pics of me?"

"Yeah he did, but at least they're kind of dark and since he was drunk, they're pretty blurry too."

"I guess that's good."

"You should get home and get some sleep."

"You too… How comes you aren't drunk?"

"I poured most of mine out."

"And you let me drink all of mine."

"Hey, don't blame me. You also had two others."

He groaned and said, "Next time, stop me."

"I will."

Sirens were sounding in the distance and everyone started to panic.

"What do we do?" Jasper asked.

"They're probably not even for us," Chad said with a laugh.

"We don't know that."

"We should get out of here," Leon said.

"I'm right there with you," Troy said.

They started grabbing their stuff and Leon helped his brother, who was practically slumped against him. We started leaving and flashlights were making their way through the brush. We tried to run as fast as we could, but since they were all pretty wasted, they were running pretty sloppily.

"Split up! They won't catch us if we split," Jasper said.

"Yeah," Chad said.

"Catch you losers later," Troy said.

We all split up and I had no clue where I was going. I made my way thought the small patch of woods we were in and a flashlight came into view. I didn't have the time to hide before the light was pointed in my face. I squinted at the uniformed police officer in front of me and he said, "You're coming with me."

I nodded and he pulled me along and out to the road. There were about three patrol cars and in the distance I could see the smoke from the burning shack. The officer started talking into his radio in a hushed voice and a few seconds later it crackled loudly as another voice echoed through. They communicated back and forth a few times before he looked at me.

"Who else was with you?" he asked me.

"No one," I said.

"Come on, It's late and I have other thing to do. Now who else was with you?"

"No one."

The officer sighed and said, "Fine… I don't have time for this. You're just a minor and I'm leaving you off with a warning."

"Thank you."

"Where do you live?"

"Uh…"

"Come on kid. We don't have all day."

Another officer came out of the woods and said, "Couldn't find the others."

"Great… Maybe we'll get something from what we find."

"Yeah… Isn't that Detective Beckett's niece or something?" officer two asked, looking at me with recognition.

"Oh… Is it really?"

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure," officer two came up to me and asked, "Are you Emily Beckett?"

"Yes…" I said with a sigh.

"Well Officer Shanahan, I guess we have to drop her off with her aunt."

"Do you think she's working now?"

"No doubt about it. She's been looking into her missing fiancés case for a while now. She rarely goes home anymore."

"All right. Come on kid, let's go," the officer said as he put me in the back of his patrol car.

* * *

We arrived at the twelfth precinct and onto Aunt Kate's floor. Both officers escorted me into the place and Ryan and Esposito were the first to lay eyes on me. They looked at me in shock and I hung my head low. We went up to Aunt Kate's desk and she was busy looking at her paper work, not even knowing we were here.

"Detective Beckett," Officer Shanahan said.

She looked up and her hazel eyes grew wide in shock. Her face soon turned into one of anger and she asked, "What did she do?"

"We caught her in the woods. She was with some others, but we couldn't catch them and she didn't give them up. They burned down an old shack, drinking alcohol, and what seemed to smell like weed."

"They did…? Thank you officers. Are you charging her with anything?"

"No, ma'am. We thought a warning would be good enough. I have a feeling you'll handle it."

"Yes, thank you very much. Goodnight."

"Goodnight detective."

They left and my aunt laid her fiery hazel eyes on mine. She looked extremely pissed and I knew I was in some hot water.

"Sit," was all she said as she pointed to the seat by her desk.

I sat down and started to say, "But aunt…"

"No, I don't want to hear it. We'll talk when we get back to my apartment."

I went quiet and slumped down into the seat I was occupying. I heard Esposito and Ryan mumbling behind me and I felt extremely embarrassed. I was in so much trouble once I get back to Aunt Kate's apartment. Now I have to sit here and wait, thinking about the long lecture and punishment my aunt was going to give me.

* * *

A very long hour later, we finally went to her apartment. As soon as we went through the door, my aunt pointed to the couch. She paced in front of me for a few seconds and said, "I'm so disappointed with you! You know what's been going on and you do this!"

"It's not like you're around. I needed to get out of there. I needed to forget about Castle," I said.

"Emily that is not the way to do it! You know what happened to your mom!"

"I know that, but I didn't do any of those things… Well I did take a sip of beer, but I dumped the rest out."

"But Emily, you could have been arrested and wound up in juvie for the night. Do you really want to go down that path?'

"No, and I'm not going to. I was just hanging with the wrong people."

She ran a hand through her long hair and said, "Em, please don't do this."

"Do what?"

"Start acting out. I can't deal with that right now. Losing Castle was hard enough, but having you breaking rules and turning into a delinquent is not helping me."

"What do you want me to do? Sit at home and listen to everyone crying, or watching the latest news on Castle's disappearance."

"Emily, I know this is hard. It's hard on all of us and I'm doing my best to find him."

"Yeah, I know you are, but I wish you'd make time for me. Everyone's been forgetting about me, leaving me to cope by myself. It's not fair."

"Emily I know this past month has been rough, but we're all trying to get through this."

"Whatever," I said as I tried to leave.

She grabbed my arm and said, "Don't you dare leave. We aren't done yet."

"Let me go."

I tried to pull away from her as hot tears streamed down my face. She pulled me to her and I leaned into her embrace. She stroked my hair and said, "I know, Em…. I know… I'm sorry I haven't been there for you. Please promise me you won't get into any more trouble."

I sniffled and said, "I promise Aunt Kate. I'm really sorry. I should have left the minute they started to make trouble."

"It's okay…. You've been going through a lot. I'm sorry I've been neglecting you."

"Its fine, I know this is harder on you than anyone else. I know you want to find him."

"Yeah, I do…" I heard her sniffle and she continued, "Next time you feel down or need someone to talk to, just call me or find me, okay?"

"Yeah, I will."

"Good and if you can't find me, I'm sure Alexis and Mrs. Rodgers wouldn't mind the company."

I nodded and said, "Thank you, Aunt Kate."

"Not a problem, Em. You helped me realize that I've been pretty caught up in this investigation."

"It's not that bad though. We'll find him, right?" I asked looking up at her.

She grabbed my face with her hands and said, "I hope so… I really do."

She gave me a small kiss on the forehead and then pulled me into another tight hug.

"Can I sleep with you tonight?" I asked.

"Yeah, definitely. We both need to be together tonight."

She grabbed my hand and we went to her room, cuddling in her bed together. We may have had a hard night tonight, but we both know that tomorrow we'll go back to the same thing we've been doing for a month. But I don't really care, tonight is tonight, and tomorrow is tomorrow. I think this might be the first real sleep we've gotten since he went missing and we need that more than anything.


	53. Chapter 53

AN: Short and sweet, based off of Season 7 Episode 1. Thank's to everyone for following, favoriting, and reviewing this story. Here's the next chapter everybody, enjoy. Don't forget to Review. :)

Disclaimer: I do not own Castle or it's characters.

* * *

Castle's Alive

Two months have gone by… Two long, dreadful, months and there were still no answers, until today. We got the news that Castle was found, so Mrs. Rodgers, Alexis, and I were heading to the hospital in a patrol car. I was so excited to see Castle again, I was really losing hope that we would never find him, but I'm glad we did.

We pulled up to the hospital, and I felt so giddy to see Castle again. We got out of the patrol car and practically ran towards the elevators. We got to Castle's floor and every twist a turn we made towards his room built up the anticipation. We finally reached his room and I saw that Aunt Kate was already there, holding his hand gently. Alexis ran into the room first and said, "Dad?"

"Richard, darling," Mrs. Rodgers said as she went up to his bed, but he was still unconscious.

"What's wrong with him?" Alexis asked.

Aunt Kate wasn't quite sure herself and she looked a little shaken up by this whole ordeal. I didn't really blame her though, it's the first time we've all seen him in months and he's still out of it. But I'm sure he'll pull through, he's Castle.

* * *

We were out in the hall and a male nurse was talking to Alexis and Mrs. Rodgers. I was standing away from them along with aunt who was leaning against the wall. I was leaning my back into her chest and she held me close as we listened to the nurse talk.

"Mr. Castle hasn't sustained any serious injuries, and his vital signs continue to improve. But he is recovering from the effects of exposure and dehydration," he said to them.

"Why hasn't he regained consciousness?" Mrs. Rodgers asked.

"We're running some additional tests to find out, but at this point, we don't think there's any cause for alarm."

"But we'd like to stay with him, keep him company, if that's all right."

"Of course."

"Thank you."

They walked off to Castle's room and Aunt Kate pushed me away slightly and whispered, "Go with them."

I looked back her questionably and she nodded towards the way Mrs. Rodgers and Alexis went. I figured that she probably wanted to be alone, so I nodded slowly before making my way towards Castle's hospital room.

* * *

We spent hours at Castle's side, eating gross hospital cafeteria food, and taking naps on the lumpy hospital couch and chairs. But it was all worth it because we finally had Castle back. He even woke up just minutes ago, and the first person he asked for was my aunt Kate, which was pretty awesome.

We stayed with him until Aunt Kate came back from working on his case. Apparently they got a lead in his case about where he could have been before he was found in a dingy in the middle of the ocean. But we still have a lot of questions to answer because being missing for two months is a pretty long time.

Eventually Aunt Kate made her way here and Mr.'s Rodgers filled her in while Alexis and I went to the cafeteria to eat some lunch. We figured Aunt Kate would want to be alone with Castle for their semi-happy reunion, so that's why we went to eat. I mean all the stress that's Aunt Kate's been through, not knowing where he is or why he was missing, that really hits hard.

Alexis and I made some small talk as we finished our food and then we went to meet Mrs. Rodgers in Castle's hallway. She was getting some coffee and they started chatting briefly. I mostly kept to myself as I watched the nurses and doctors walk up and down the hall.

Aunt Kate came out of Castle's room soon after and started to discuss how Castle didn't remember anything form his two month hiatus. All he could really remember was the accident and then waking up in the hospital. Something crazy was going on, but I guess this has been a nightmare for everyone, especially Castle since he has no clue what's happened to him.

* * *

They decided to consult with a doctor to see why Castle has no recollection of his two month absence. After she was finished talking with him, we gathered around and my aunt asked, "What do you think is going on with him?"

"Well, Mr. Castle shows no sign of a psychosis or break with reality. Nor does he exhibit cognitive deficits other than his inability to recall the last two months," Dr. Swann said.

"So is it possible that he underwent trauma and he's blocking it out?"

"He may have, although I didn't see any evidence of that."

"Maybe his memory will come back once he's had some time to readjust," Alexis said.

"It very well might."

"Then what he needs, maybe, is to get back to his life, his routine, the people who love him. Can't we just take him home?" Mrs. Rodgers asked.

"You'll have to speak with his doctors."

"Of course, of course. Oh, thank you so much."

Mrs. Rodgers grabbed my hand and we followed Alexis down the hallway, so we could go talk to Castle's doctor about letting him leave. Aunt Kate stayed behind with the doctor though, probably to get a little more insight from Dr. Swann.

I really hope that Castle gets his memory back because we could all sure use some answers, but if his memory does comes back, will it open a whole other can of worms that we might not be able to handle. If his disappearance is linked to something greater than we think it is, we could be in a whole lot of trouble. For now though, we just have to stay positive and be grateful that he isn't dead.

* * *

After all the long and rough weeks and months, Castle was finally home and we were celebrating. They still weren't sure what happened, but we weren't worried about that right now. We'll figure a lot more out down the road and maybe Castle will start remembering bits and pieces as he continues to process things.

Mrs. Rodgers popped some champagne and said, "I do believe a celebration is in order."

"Here, here. I have not had a glass of champagne in months, that I can remember anyway," Castle said.

"Dad," Alexis scolded.

"Too soon?"

"Yeah."

Mrs. Rodger sand Aunt Kat made their way over with the drinks and Mrs. Rodgers said, "All right, now. One for you"

Castle grabbed his champagne flute and said, "Thank you."

"One for you," she said, handing one to Alexis.

Aunt Kate handed me a flute, but mine had apple juice in it instead of the champagne. I was fine not having any alcohol because that beer I had with Mike, Leon, and his friend's was super gross. I don't think I'll be having it again anytime soon, and if I did, I'll probably be grounded again.

Aunt Kate took a seat in between Castle and I on the couch, patting my leg softly as she scooted in.

"Oh, and a particularly full one for me," Mrs. Rodgers said as she grabbed her champagne glass and took a seat on the coffee table

"Well, in the immortal word of Dorothy, _There's no place like home_ ," Castle said.

"Here's what I don't get. Why would someone do this to you, Dad? Where did you actually go for two months?" Alexis asked.

"Well, those answers lie within the vast and insidious conspiracy behind all this. A tangled web that I fully intend to untangle."

"Enough of that. I'd like to propose a toast," Mrs. Rodgers raised her glass and made her toast, "To safe returns."

"And no more departures," Alexis chimed in.

"And to my amazing mother, my wonderful daughter, my adorable soon to be niece, and the love of my life," Castle said as he clinked all of our glasses.

"And to coming home," Aunt Kate said.

We all drank from our glasses and then we had a lighthearted conversation before we all went off to bed. At least this time we'll all be able to sleep soundly, even if we do have a lot of unanswered questions. But all that matters is that Castle's alive, and I'm grateful for that.


	54. Chapter 54

AN: A sad little chapter that popped into my head. I'm trying to think of some episodes I can put Emily into, but i'm not sure which ones yet. Is there any specific episodes from the seventh season you guys would like to see? Anyway, Thank's to everyone for following, favoriting, and reviewing this story. Here's the next chapter everybody, enjoy. Don't forget to Review. :)

Disclaimer: I do not own Castle or it's characters.

* * *

Too Young

It's been a couple of weeks since Castle has been found. He still doesn't remember much from his time being gone, but he did remember a little bit a few days ago. Turns out he was in Montreal for a little bit while he was missing. He even left some flash drives behind in a P.O. Box there. Even though he found some clues to his possible whereabouts, there are still many questions hanging in the air from his disappearance. Maybe someday his memory will come back fully.

But today was Saturday and I was hanging out with my friends. I was riding my skateboard around the city with my best friend Mike, and his new neighbor, Timothy. Technically, Timothy was on his rollerblades because he liked them better than his skateboard. We've only spoken to him a couple of times because he just moved in a few days ago. He's a decent kid, and is the same age as us, so we've been getting along pretty well. He doesn't go to our school though, because he goes to a special magnet school. From the conversations we've had, he does seem like a pretty sophisticated person, for a 12 year old.

So, we were riding through the alleyways and on the pavements erratically, getting dirty looks from many angry pedestrians, and pretty much ignoring them all. I turned one corner to fast and accidently shouldered a man who was talking on his cellphone.

"Jesus! You stupid kids!" he said angrily.

"SORRY!" I called out behind me as we continued to speed down the sidewalk.

Mike chuckled from beside me and I laughed along with him as we continued to our destination. We turned down another alley and Timothy said, "Hold on! Let's take… a short break."

We stopped and Timothy leaned against one of the brick buildings we were between, trying hard to catch his breath.

"You okay, dude?" Mike questioned him.

"Oh yeah… Sometimes I get winded pretty easily… No worries."

"All right, take your time."

"Yeah, we're in no rush. The skate park doesn't close until 8pm and the special festivities they have going is until then too," I said.

"Okay, cool. It's just been awhile… since I've skated and usually… it's only a couple of laps around my old home," Timothy said.

"Oh… I see. Emmy and I usually travel pretty far sometimes on our boards. It's cool if you aren't used to it, we'll wait," Mike said as he patted Timothy's shoulder.

"Thanks, you guys are cool."

"We try…"

I pushed Mike and said, "You're so weird."

"Yup, not denying it."

Timothy and I chuckled at him and Timothy said, "I like you guys. I'm glad you wanted to be my friends."

"Of course, everyone needs a friend," I said.

"Yeah… I didn't have too many back at my old home. They all thought my interests were weird and they thought I was a nerd."

"Well, we think you're cool. And those other children in your old neighborhood were all jerks," Mike said.

Timothy chuckled a bit once again and said, "I guess they were."

"So, do you need some more time or are you good?"

"I think I'm good now."

"All right. On word my fellow friends."

Mike and I started riding our skateboards and Timothy followed behind us on his skates. We continued riding through the streets of New York, still making the citizens give us dirty looks as we passed by them. Some even said some very vulgar things to us, but it's all pretty normal when you live here.

We were halfway to our destination and I saw that Timothy was starting to fall behind more and more. Mike and I crossed the empty street that was right by the park and we waited for Timothy who was moving pretty slowly behind. He put his hands on his knees at the other side of the crosswalk and Mike said, "Take your time Timothy. Cars rarely go by here."

"Yeah, but still be careful, they seem to go fast though," I said.

"Yeah, that too. Plus, we're literally right near the skate park."

"Okay… I'm… Coming…" he said.

Timothy looked both ways and started skating across the street to where we were. As he got halfway, he started to breath heavier than before, and he started to slow down again. Just as he started to take a breather, a dark red car with dark tinted windows flew around the corner, making a beeline towards Timothy.

"Timothy get out of there!" I yelled.

He looked to his right, eyes going wide, becoming a perfect example of a deer in the headlights. I went to run after him, but Mike grabbed my arm firmly not letting me save him. It was too late, the car hit Timothy and he flew through the air like a weightless feather.

"No!" I screamed.

I ran towards his lifeless body, blood pooling around him. The car was stopped a few feet away from us and as I turned to look at it, he sped off with his tires squealing madly on the asphalt. I barely had a chance to catch his license plate, but I did catch at least two of the letters at the beginning of plate. Hopefully that will be able to help.

"What… What do we do?" Mike stammered as he looked horrified at the young boy in front of us.

"Go get help! Now!" I yelled.

"Help!? Right, got it," he said as he ran towards the skate park.

I grabbed Timothy's hand, it was fairly warm, but he wasn't breathing at all.

"Please don't die… Please don't…" I whispered.

"Oh my god!" I heard a lady scream.

People were murmuring all over as they started to walk by. I drowned all the sounds out as I looked at the dead kid in front of me. I've never actually seen someone die in front of me and I think this has to be one of the worst experiences of my life. Not even being buried alive compares to what I've just seen.

"Yes, operator," a lady said.

"Yeah, there's a boy who's been struck by a car," another man said.

"Should we move her?" another person questioned.

"Hey, kid," someone else said.

"Emmy," Mike said sadly.

I looked up at him, seeing all the people who've gathered around the street. Tears were slowly falling down his redden cheeks and he asked, "Is he dead?"

I'm sure he already knew the answer to the question, but I nodded whispering a strangled, "Yes…"

"Cops and an ambulance are on their way," the one lady said.

"Yeah, I got ahold of someone too," a man said.

* * *

About fifteen minutes later, the place was surrounded by dozens of paramedics and cops. They practically had to pry me away from Timothy's body. I may not have known him for long, but no one deserves this, especially someone so young. One of the paramedics took me over to another ambulance and sat me down. He looked at me and asked, "Are you all right?"

"Yeah," I said through tears.

"Is that his blood on your hands?"

I looked down at my right hand which was soaked in blood and mumbled, "Uh-huh."

"Okay. Should we call your parents?"

"That won't be necessary. Her aunt is just over there. We want to ask her a few questions first?" I heard a familiar voice say.

I looked up and saw Ryan looking solemnly at the paramedic in front of me. Next to him was Esposito who was looking just as solemn as Ryan.

"Sure thing, detectives," the paramedic said as he walked away.

"You okay, mini B?" Esposito asked.

"Javie… She just witnessed…," Ryan went to speak lower to Esposito, but I still heard his last sentence, "She just witnessed a hit and run."

"I know… This is rough. Kids shouldn't have to be victims…"

"Yeah…" Ryan turned back to me and asked, "Emily, we're going to ask you some questions, okay?'

"Okay…" I whispered.

"Did you see the car?" Esposito asked me

"Sort of… It was dark red with tinted windows, but I don't know the make or model."

Ryan nodded and asked, "Did you catch the license plate?'

"I only saw two letters… IK, but that's all I caught. He drove off to fast…"

"It was a he?" Esposito questioned.

"I don't know…Like I said it had tinted windows, but the way they drove… I would say it was a guy."

"Can you recall anything else?" Ryan asked.

"No, it all happened so fast," I said as I started to sniffle.

"Hey, hey… It's gonna be okay mini B. We're going to find this guy," Esposito said with a hint of anger.

"Em," my aunt said as she came over to me.

Castle was following behind her and she gave me a tight hug.

"Are you okay?" she asked as she looked at me.

I shrugged my shoulders and said, "This is tough."

"You two really saw the whole thing?" Castle asked.

"Yes," I said as I broke down harder than I ever done before.

Aunt Kate pulled me even tighter into her chest as I let all my emotions flood out of my body. Trying to stay strong all the time was hard, this whole event just broke everything I had in me. The scene kept playing through my head, and I could have saved him… I could have.

* * *

We left the scene soon after I finished crying, and headed to the precinct. Mike headed back home with a uniformed police officer, so he wouldn't have to skate back. I was quiet the whole time I sat by Aunt Kate's desk. My skateboard was sitting on my lap and I kept turning my used to be egg white wheels as I continued running the horrific scene in my head. Aunt Kate, Castle, Esposito, and Ryan were all talking by the investigation board while I sat staring off into space.

"Okay, I'll go see Tory and see if she came up with anything yet," Esposito said and walked off to see Tory.

"I'll go call the local stations to see if they can show viewers the information we have so far," Ryan said and went to his desk.

"I'm gonna make us some coffee," Castle said.

My aunt nodded and walked over to her desk, taking a seat at it. I could see her look over at me in my peripheral vision, but I didn't want to look at her.

"Em, I know this is hard," she said to me.

I finally looked up at her, her hazel eyes shining with sympathy, and said, "But I could've saved him… I could've…"

"Em, don't put this on yourself. This is not your fault. There was nothing you could do."

"I could have pushed him out of the way. There was enough time to do that, but Mike stopped me."

"If you would have done that you could have got hit, or you both could've been hit."

I shook my head sadly and said, "I wouldn't have minded it being me. I've had so many close calls, why am I the only lucky one."

My aunt pulled her chair in front of me and grabbed a hold of my hands, "You don't mean that. I admit what happened was tragic, but you cannot blame yourself. I can't even think if that was you in the street."

"But…"

"I know… But all we can do right now, for Timothy and his family, is catch the guy who did this."

"Yeah, and knowing your aunt and this precinct, they'll catch his killer in no time," Castle said as he placed Aunt Kate's cup of coffee on her desk.

I took one of my hands, wiping some of the tears away with the back of it, and said, "Okay. I hope we find him before he does something like this again."

"Me too… Me too…" Aunt Kate said as she pushed one of my stray hairs back.

"Kate, we just got a tip of an abandoned car that looks similar to our suspects. It's just a few miles from the scene," Ryan said.

"Okay, let's go check it out," she said, then turned to me, "Stay here, Em. And please, don't keep blaming yourself, there was nothing you could've done."

I nodded slightly and she placed a light peck on the top of my head. Everyone left to go to the scene and I stayed at the precinct, nothing else to do but mull over all my racing thoughts.

* * *

Two days have gone by since Timothy was killed by the hit and run driver. The precinct has pretty much hit a dead end with the case since they've found the car. When they found it, it was wiped down of all prints, and it turned out to be stolen a couple of days prior to the fatal incident. So all they had left to go on was some grainy video footage of the suspect stealing the vehicle from a gas station and a couple of differentiating eyewitness accounts. I wish I could do more for Timothy, but all I can do, is wait until my aunt and the precinct find the man responsible for this heinous crime.

Today I had to go to school and so did Mike. Since Timothy didn't go to this school, Mike and I were the only two really affected by this whole incident, and we did see the whole thing go down. But just because Timothy didn't attend our school, doesn't mean it wasn't the biggest topic everyone conversed about. As soon as I walked through the halls, that's all I heard as I made my way to my homeroom. Most students talked about how their parents won't let them go too far now that Timothy was hit by a car and some were saying how it could've been them or their sibling.

I tried to ignore most of the conversations throughout the day, same with Mike. We both mostly kept to ourselves throughout the school day because we both know what happened and practically lived it. But staying out of people's conversations stopped during my fourth period class. We were all sitting in math class and four kids near the front of the room were working on their assignment together because our teacher gave us a collaborate worksheet.

I ignored the group for a while, until I heard one of the boys in the group say, "I heard the kid stopped right in the middle of the road while skating, how stupid."

"I heard he wanted to get hit by the car," one of the girls in the group giggled.

"And he went to a magnet school… Not too smart if you ask me…" another boy chuckled.

My anger was rising and I felt my hands clenching as they continued to make fun of poor Timothy. After a couple more minutes of their rude comments and assumptions about what happened, I had enough of it and stood up at my desk.

"Don't talk about him like that," I yelled.

All eyes landed on me and one of the boys asked, "Why? You didn't even know the kid."

"I did and I was there. I watched the blood drain from his body, I held his fucking hand. You don't have the right to talk about something you don't know!"

"Emily," Mike said quietly from next to me.

"Miss Roswell, please go to the principal immediately," my math teacher said sternly from the front of the room.

"Yes, ma'am," I said as I grabbed my stuff.

I went to the principal's office and I told him everything that happened and why I was sent down. He gave me some sympathy, but I still got a strong warning about bursting out in class. Since I was still pretty hung up about Timothy's death, the principal decided to call my aunt and have her pick me up early from school. I didn't mind being sent home early, I'd rather be there than here with a bunch of kids who think this isn't serious.

My aunt came to pick me up pretty quickly and after the principal filled her in on what happened, we headed to the precinct. It was pretty quiet during our ride until we stopped at our third red light. My aunt was the first to speak up and she said, "Are you okay, Em?"

"Yeah… Of course it's still pretty depressing, but the things they were saying about him were… They were horrible. They didn't know anything about him or what happened," I said.

"I understand, but a lot of young kids these days thinks everything is a joke. You just have to try to ignore them."

"I know, but it just made me angry. Especially since I was there."

"I know, but you have to try and be the bigger person. Don't let them get to you. You know the truth and that's enough."

I nodded and said, "Yeah…"

"And about the cussing," she said, giving me a side glance and raised brow.

"Sorry, it was the heat of the moment. It just came out."

"I understand, but next time, control it. I don't need you getting suspended."

"Yes, I'll make sure I won't, Aunt Kate."

"Good."

The light turned green and I asked, "Do you think we'll find his killer?"

"I'm sure of it."

* * *

We got back to the precinct and I sat by Aunt Kate's desk, doing my homework while she worked on some paperwork from her other case. While we were sitting there, my aunt's phone started to ring and she picked it up quickly.

"Detective Beckett… Yes, are you sure? I understand… I'll grab a team and we'll check it out… Yes… Thank you," she said hurriedly over the phone.

"Ryan, Espo, we've got something. Someone who matches our suspect in Timothy's case was spotted at a motel in Manhattan," she said.

"Really?" I asked looking up at Aunt Kate with hope in my eyes.

"It might be."

They all grabbed their stuff and quickly left the precinct. I hoped that this was the right guy and we could finally close this case and have Timothy rest peacefully.

* * *

About an hour later, they returned with a young man in his early twenties, getting dragged in by a uniformed officer. He led him to the interrogation room and Aunt Kate walked in along with Castle. I went to the observation room, so I could see the interrogation take place. I watched intently as my Aunt Kate and Castle took a seat across from the potential murderer.

"Mr. Dresden, have you seen this car before?" my aunt asked him as she showed him a picture.

He pushed it back at her and said, "Nope…"

"Are you sure about that?" Castle asked.

The young guy rolled his eyes and said, "Yeah… Don't I have to wait for my lawyers or something?"

My aunt chuckled roughly and said, "Sure, if you want to do it that way."

"Psh… This is stupid. You don't have anything on me anyway. As soon as my lawyer gets here he'll be able to let me leave."

"We'll see about that."

Just a few seconds later, a man walked into the room with a black briefcase and sat next to his client, "I'm Jesse Laurent, and I'll have to ask you to refrain from the questioning of my client."

"Mr. Laurent, we have reasons to believe that your client stole a vehicle and was involved in a fatal hit and run," my aunt said to the man.

"I am aware of the allegations against my client. Do you have any sufficient evidence that links my client to both of these offenses?"

"We have surveillance videos and witnesses that spotted your client at Mecca Bar which is just a few minutes away from the gas station the car was stolen from. We also have evidence that the same vehicle was used in the deadly hit and run."

"Just because my client was in that area, does not mean he committed any of these crimes."

"No, but isn't this you in the photo Michael?" my aunt asked as she pushed another picture in front of him.

"Don't answer that," the lawyer said to Michael before looking back at my aunt, "You can't even tell who it is in that footage. It's too grainy."

"No, but that looks like the same hat your client is wearing right now. The same one from his frat house that had a party in that bar the night of the carjacking."

I could see Michael starting to get nervous as he started to pick at his fingers. His lawyer gave him a slight glance before going back to Aunt Kate, "Many people have that hat, alumni, current student, and even some family members of someone who went there."

"I admit, not much of this is evidence, until we did a second sweep of the car. We found a crumbled piece of paper advertising the party at the bar. I'm sure the prints we got off of it will match Mr. Dresden."

Michael looked over at his lawyer, looking even more nervous than before and the lawyer said, "No, you don't have to say anything further. I'm sure we'll be able to get this thrown out in court."

"But…"

"Don't say anything. I'm sure we can get this all worked out."

"Michael, a little boy's family is grieving their son. Do the right thing," Castle said to him.

Michael ran a hand down his face with a groan and said, "I didn't mean it. I really didn't. I just… I had too much to drink that night and I honestly thought it was my car, but when I woke up the next day it wasn't. I was going to try and dump it somewhere, but I got so many compliments on my new ride. The day I hit that kid… The day I hit him, I was actually going to dump the car somewhere. I didn't even see him there. Then when I heard the thud and saw him on the ground in the review mirror, I freaked. I'm so sorry… I really am. I was going to graduate next year."

"I think my client is done here. Do you think we can work out a plea deal?" his lawyer asked with a masked face.

"I'll see what we can do," my aunt said.

"Thank you."

I met with Aunt Kate and Castle by her desk after they finished with the interrogation and said, "So he did it."

"Yep," she said.

"It's sad, a young kid himself having his life taken away for killing another young kid who barely had a chance to live," Castle said.

"I guess that's just the cruelty of the world," Esposito said as he walked over with Ryan.

"Yeah… It's really sad when you think about it. It makes me want to go hold my little girl even more tonight," Ryan said.

"It really shows that life is truly precious," Castle said.

Everyone nodded and I was happy that we finally caught Timothy's killer. Now his family could have some sort of closure even though it'll never bring him back.

* * *

Wednesday was Timothy's funeral, but Mike and I weren't invited because I think the family sort of blames us for what happened to their son. But not being able to go to the funeral didn't deter me any, I decided to go anyway. It was taking place about an hour after school, so I made my way there right after. It was pretty much halfway through by the time I got there. I made sure I stayed away from the ceremony, so no one would see me, but I still stayed close by so I could watch it.

And the funeral happened to take place at the cemetery my mom was buried, so I stayed by her grave as I watched his funeral from afar. I rested my chin on top of my hand as I peeked over my mom's grave. I saw Timothy's mother, father, and sister sitting up front as they watched the priest read from his bible. I watched as everyone at the funeral wiped their fallen tears away, whether it was with their hands or with a handkerchief.

As the funeral came to an end, people placed flowers on his newly covered grave and left one by one. It was starting to drizzle a bit, so I put my hoodie over my head and waited until everyone was gone. Once the coast was clear I went over to Timothy's grave and kneeled by it, placing my hand on the tombstone. I read what was engraved on the headstone and it said: " _Timothy Edgar Raven, January 6, 2002 – October 10, 2014. The best son, brother, and nephew a person could ever ask for._ "

"I'm sorry I couldn't save you Timothy. If Mike would have let me, believe me, I would've tried. I know we didn't know each other well, but I was happy to have you as a friend. I think Mike would have said the same thing," I took an item that I brought with me from my backpack and placed it against his headstone, "I remember you said you liked Oreos so I brought you some in case you get hungry. Anyway, like I said, I'm real sorry. I just hope you're able to rest easy now that we found your killer. I'll try to come by when I can. See you around, Timothy."

I stood up and I felt a soft breeze rustle through the air. I smiled briefly, thinking that Timothy accepted my apology and all was well between us.


	55. Chapter 55

AN: A pretty long chapter based off of Season 7 Episode 6 "The Time of Our Lives". Since Castle is ending on Monday, I thought a nice happy chapter would be good. I can't believe it's going off, but it's all good... kind of. Anyway, Thank's to everyone for following, favoriting, and reviewing this story. Here's the next chapter everybody, enjoy. Don't forget to Review. :)

Also to the guest who suggested a Mother's day chapter, I was actually thinking of it on Mother's day, but I couldn't write that fast, so maybe I'll fit one into later chapters or make it a one shot. But keep an eye out of it, better late than never, right? lol... Once again, enjoy the chapter.

Disclaimer: I do not own Castle or it's characters.

* * *

A Caskett Wedding

It was Monday morning, and I didn't have school today. I loved when we had a four day vacation. I was eating breakfast at the kitchen isle as I watched Aunt Kate prepare a meal for Castle and her. She was chopping a melon when Castle walked into the room and she said, "Hey. Made some coffee for you. It's insomniac strength. This is the fourth night in a row that you haven't slept. Something wrong?"

"I don't know. Maybe my subconscious has a pressing need to catch up on my Facebook likes," Castle said.

Mrs. Rodgers came in and my aunt said, "Martha, good morning."

"Ah. Good morning, darling," she said as she grabbed her script to her the play she was trying out for.

"Would you like some breakfast?"

"No, thank you. I'm fasting for clarity. I've been asked to read for the new Stoppard play."

"So what's the problem?" Castle asked.

"Well, I haven't auditioned for anything in ages. I think I need to decide if that particular train has left the station."

We chuckled at her and she left the apartment with the script in hand. Castle looked at an invitation that my aunt received and asked, " _"Ms. Katherine Beckett"_?What's this?"

"Oh, an ex is getting married. Do you remember Will Sorenson?" she asked as she continued to cut the melon.

"Your old FBI squeeze?"

"Yeah."

"Oh, man, you're so lucky I came along and saved you from that life."

"Wait. You saved me?"

"Come on. Even you have to admit he was boring. Like, C-SPAN boring."

I chuckled at Castle's joke and he gave me a soft smile, while Aunt Kate just rolled her eyes and said, "You know, what makes you think that I would be with Sorenson if you hadn't come along?"

"All right. Where would you be?"

Aunt Kate put an arm around Castle and asked, "If you weren't around to distract me?"

"Yeah."

"Um, I would probably be captain of my own precinct."

"Wow."

"Yeah."

"Okay. Had I not been bewitched by you, I think by now I'd be working on my second Pulitzer."

"So we're bad for each other, huh?"

"The worst."

They gave each other a sweet and short kiss, and I made a disgusted face at their affectionate kiss. They pulled away and Aunt Kate said, "I guess we'd both be better off if we never met."

Her cellphone started ringing and Castle said, "It's like _It's a Wonderful Life_. Every time your phone rings, a victim gets their wings."

Aunt Kate answered her phone and said, "Beckett."

As she talked on the phone, getting the information on their next case, Castle came over to me.

"What are you doing today, mini Becket?" he asked.

"I don't know… Maybe I'll tag along with you guys?" I said, looking over at Aunt Kate as she hung up.

"Em… I don't know," she said, looking at me with thought.

"Please…. I have nothing else to do…"

She let out a sigh and said, "Fine, you can tag along, but no touching anything or getting into trouble."

"You can count on me," I said as I placed my empty bowl in the sink.

I went to go get changed, but my aunt stopped me before I could go, "Em, fruit."

"Aww… but Aunt Kate…" I whined.

"It's good for you."

Castle snickered at her mothering me, and I huffed as I took a handful of blue berries and a couple of melons. I shoved them into my mouth and grinned widely, showing her that I ate my fruit. Castle chuckled hard as he watched my little stunt. My aunt let out a groan and said, "All right smartass, go get ready before I change my mind and leave you here."

My eyes went wide and before I could get into trouble, I bolted up the stairs and got ready to go to the crime scene.

* * *

We arrived at the crime scene and Ryan started to fill us in, "His name is Mathias Gensler. His passport indicates that he is a Swiss national. Witnesses said that two masked men attacked both the driver and Gensler, before cutting a silver briefcase handcuffed to Mr. Gensler's wrist."

I looked at the dead body before me, looking at his chopped off hand laying just a few inches away from his arm. He had two bullet wounds in his chest which stained his light colored dress shirt red with blood.

"So this was an ambush. Whoever did this knew that he had that case with him," Aunt Kate said as she looked over the body.

"Looks like the attackers fled in a late model G-Wagen, no plates," Ryan said.

"Is that a boot print on his shirt?" Castle asked.

"Killer must have held him down with his foot," my aunt said as she stood up from where she was kneeling.

"So, what was in the case? Nuclear launch codes? Deadly virus?"

"We don't know yet. The driver's log shows that Mr. Gensler was picked up at Teterboro Airport after arriving on a private charter flight from Switzerland," Ryan said as he looked at the log.

"And where was the car taking him?" Aunt Kate asked.

"Manifest only lists the pick-up."

"Did you call the car company?"

"Uh, there's no one to call. The driver, Renzo Conrad, owned the service. He was a one-man band."

"Speaking of one-man band, where's your partner?"

"Yeah… And Lanie."

"Wait, wait," Lanie said as she ran up to the scene with Esposito in toe.

"We're here. We were just, uh…" Esposito fumbled with his sentence.

"Stuck in traffic."

"Yeah."

"So gross," I mumbled.

Castle gave a short huff of laughter and Aunt Kate said, "Why don't you bring Romeo here up to speed? And contact the Swiss consulate. Maybe they know what Gensler was up to."

Ryan and Esposito left and Castle started to sniff the body on the ground. We all gave him an odd stare and Lanie asked, "Castle, what are you doing with my body?"

"Just pretend like you don't know him," Aunt Kate said with a smile.

"Beckett, this is not dirt," he sniffed some more and continued, "It's flinty. Hints of carbon. That's coal. It's pulverized, unrefined coal."

"So?"

"So, I used a clue like this in one of my early Derrick Storm books. It's pretty unusual to find unrefined coal outside a coal-fired power plant."

"All the coal plants in the city are either shut down or converted."

"Right. But some of them are still standing. There's an abandoned one on the Hudson they're gonna turn into a shopping mall."

"Coal dust could have come from a lot of places."

"An abandoned plant would be a perfect place to launch a strike like this."

"Lanie, why don't you get CSU techs to test the substance on the victim's shirt? We gotta go to Teterboro and look into that flight."

"And that coal plant is right on the way."

"Fine. We'll stop off at the coal plant."

* * *

We pulled up to the abandoned coal plant in Aunt Kate's car and Aunt Kate turned to me in the back, "Em, stay here."

"What? Why? I want to come too," I said.

"No, if Castle's right, I could be putting you in danger."

"When is Castle usually right?"

"Always! I'm always right. My theories are always on point," Castle said looking a little offended.

"Sometimes… But if this is one of them, I don't want you getting hurt. So stay here."

"Okay, fine."

I watched them get out and walk down the alleyway towards the old facility. Once I saw them enter the building, I quickly slipped out of the car and made my way into the facility. I saw them looking through a chain linked fence and Aunt Kate was calling for backup.

I stood next to Castle and said, "Wow, you were actually right."

They both looked at me and I looked at them with a small smile. Aunt Kate gave me a glare and said, "I told you to wait in the car."

"I wanted to see," I said.

"Go back to the car. We don't know if they're still here."

"But I want to help."

"No, Em. This is dangerous."

"I'll keep her close by. I promise," Castle said.

She looked between us and said, "Fine. Stay low and stay close."

We both nodded and Aunt Kate pulled out her gun. We followed her through the abandoned plant and around a couple of corners. We made it to the other side where the car was parked and the briefcase was sitting open on top of a grey, metal, rolling tool cabinet.

"There's the case," Castle said.

I followed behind Castle over to the brief case and Aunt Kate asked, "What's in it?"

I looked in the case with Castle on my right and he said, "Some kind of artifact."

It was circular with ancient markings covering the whole thing, and in the middle was a creepy looking face like the Mayans would use.

"Must be valuable if it was worth killing over," Aunt Kate said.

Castle took out a white handkerchief and took the artifact out of the case. An alarm started to beep loudly and my aunt said, "Castle, what are you…"

A gun shot echoed through the facility, the bullet hitting the briefcase, knocking it shut. Aunt Kate shot back and yelled, "Get down!"

We dropped to the ground, Castle holding me close, since the metal cabinet wasn't that long. Aunt Kate looked over at Castle and said, "Why do you always have to touch everything?"

"I thought you liked that about me," he said as he continued to hold me close with one arm as he held onto the artifact with the other.

A flash grenade rolled between the two places we were hiding and Aunt Kate yelled, "Move!"

Castle dragged me with him towards a separate room and as we got there, the flashbang went off, making a bright blue light shine in my eyes and a loud hissing noise ring through my ears. We went through the door, sliding across the metal ground, smoke clouding my vision.

"Mini Beckett? Are you okay?" Castle asked as he checked me out.

"Yeah, a bit. Little disorientated, but other than that, I'm fine," I said.

Castle helped me up and he opened up the door we just went through, whispering out, "Beckett?"

I followed him out carefully and he whispered louder, "Beckett?"

We looked around and the vehicle and briefcase were nowhere to be found. Everything almost looked spotless compared to just seconds ago.

"Beckett?" he said again before looking around screaming her name once more, "Beckett!"

"Castle, I don't like this," I said.

"Believe me Emily, I don't like it myself," he looked around a bit more and said, "Lets head to the precinct."

"Okay."

* * *

We started heading towards the precinct and I said, "Why'd you have to touch it?"

"Well, I'm sorry… I didn't think that it would have an alarm attached to it and warn the bad guys that we were there," he said with a shrug.

"I thought you knew stuff, being a writer and all."

"I know… stuff. I just… I wasn't thinking."

"I hope Aunt Kate's okay."

"Yeah, me too."

* * *

We arrived at the precinct and Castle practically ran out of the elevator towards Esposito and Ryan.

"Guys! Hey, guys! Beckett's in trouble. We got away, but her car is missing. I think she was abducted," Castle said to them as I stood next to him.

"Uh, Captain?" Ryan said.

Aunt Kate walked into the room, wearing a way different outfit then earlier.

"You're okay! You made it back!" Castle said, looking stunned.

"Captain Beckett, this guy claims you're in trouble," Ryan said.

Castle and I both looked at each other and he said, " _"Captain"_?"

"You know him?" Esposito asked.

"I've never seen this man before in my life. But what are you doing with my niece?" she questioned.

Something extremely fishy is going on here and I'm not liking the sound of it.

"Never seen me before? Okay, that's very funny. I'm just glad you're okay. How did you get back here?" Castle asked.

"Excuse me?" my aunt asked.

"From the power plant. We were being shot at. That's a nice suit, by the way."

"Whoever you are, I think you'd better leave. And Emily, come with me, we have to talk."

"Whoever I am?"

Esposito grabbed Castle and said, "Come on, pal. Whatever trip you're on, if you leave quietly, I'm sure we can forget this ever happened."

Castle turned around with a chuckle and said, "Okay! Whoa! I get it. You guys are punking me," he said as he poked Esposito in the chest which he quickly removed after the glare he received, "Sorry. Just like, uh, my birthday. This is good. How did you stage that? The double shooting, the severed hand, coal dust on the shirt?"

"He just described our crime scene," Esposito said.

"Where did you get that information?" my aunt asked as she walked over to them.

"From being at the crime scene with all of you," Castle said, looking at them like they were all nuts.

"Captain, we only got the forensics about the coal dust five minutes ago," Ryan said as he walked up to her.

"And how do you know so much about this case?" she asked Castle.

"Kate, okay, you know what? You got me. Joke's over," he said.

"You're right. It is."

Esposito grabbed him by his lapel, dragging him towards the interrogation room, and Castle said, "No…"

Aunt Kate looked down at me and asked, "What were you doing with him?"

"You seriously have no clue who he is?" I asked, wondering what was seriously going on here.

"Not you too. I'm going to go watch Esposito and Ryan interrogate Mr. Castle and then we are going to have a little discussion. Wait in my office," she said and walked towards the observation room.

I let out a sigh, feeling uneasy about this whole situation. Something must have happened at that plant, but what?

* * *

I was waiting for Aunt Kate in the captain's office and looked around. There were papers littering the desk and a few photos of Aunt Kate in uniform, while there a few of us together, but mostly from when I was eight or nine. That didn't look too good, especially since she keeps calling me Emily. The only time she says my full name is when she's angry with me.

I heard a commotion out front and I left Aunt Kate's office to see everyone in the precinct swarming around Mrs. Rodgers.

"Who should I make this out to?" she asked with a Sharpie in hand.

"Uh, Kevin, Mrs. Rodgers," Kevin said, looking giddy.

"Uh-huh. All right, Kevin," she said as she signed a picture for him.

"Your Mama Rose in _Gypsy_? Perfection."

"Ah, thank you. You are a dear, sweet boy.'

"Well… You were robbed of that third Tony."

"Oh, well."

"Mother?" Castle asked looking at her in shock.

"Richard! Darling, you look like hell."

"Thank God. You know me," he went to hug her, but she quickly put her hands up saying, "No, don't, please. Darling, you're filthy."

"You're lucky your mommy could alibi you out for the murder," Esposito said.

"Oh, he only kills on paper," Mrs. Rodgers said and Ryan laughed boyishly, "And I'll have you know that coming down to the police station to get my grown son out of prison is the last thing I have time for. You know full well we open in two days."

"We open what?" Castle asked.

"Mame!" Ryan and Mrs. Rodgers said together.

Ryan and Esposito walked away and Mrs. Rodgers said, "My revival of Auntie Mame. Exactly how hard did you party last night?"

I saw Castle's eyes look at Lanie who walked into the precinct and she was supporting a very large baby bump as she walked through. She gave Esposito a dirty look and Esposito looked kind of down. This new world was crazy.

"Apparently, very, very hard. Oh, that can't be good," Castle said.

"Come on, kiddo. Come on. Oh, dear," Mrs. Rodgers said as she pulled him along.

Aunt Kate walked by me, holding a folder in her hand, delivering it to Esposito and Ryan. I could see Castle glance at her, and I really hoped we figured things out before things get any crazier.

Aunt Kate came over to me and grabbed me by the arm, pulling me into her office. She closed the door behind us and said, "Emily, sit."

I sat next across from her at her desk and felt nervous about what we were going to converse about. She stared at me for a while, looking over me a couple of times, before she asked, "What were you doing with Mr. Castle."

"He's my friend and you were his fiancé. You can't remember him at all?" I asked.

"Not, you too? Did he brainwash you?"

"What? He'd never do such a thing and frankly I don't think he could."

She cocked her head to the side and asked, "Why weren't you at school today?"

"We have the day off…"

"No, you don't and you had detention today."

"Detention?"

"Come on, Emily. Work with me please. I pulled you out of boarding school because you weren't doing any better there. I don't need you getting expelled from any more schools."

"Expelled!? Boarding School!? So, I'm like a delinquent?"

She sighed and looked at me softer than earlier and said, "Emily, your behavior since you came to live with me has been unacceptable… It's… It's been extremely unruly. I just couldn't deal with it anymore, especially when I made Captain. I thought you were actually getting a little better since I pulled you from boarding school, but after this stunt… I guess I was wrong."

"I can't believe this…" I mumbled to myself.

I actually screwed up my relationship with my aunt. Instead of my behavior actually getting better, it took a turn for the worst. And if my aunt was spending most of her time at work, trying to become captain… That means… That means I felt neglected and started acting out to get attention. Ooh… I don't like this world.

"Emily?" my aunt questioned.

I looked up at her, coming out of my thoughts, "Sorry, I was just thinking. I'm real sorry that I've been acting out like that. I promise you, that I'll start coming around."

"Emily, as much as I would love to believe that…"

"You can't because I probably said the same thing a thousand of times already."

She nodded slowly and said, "Listen, I'll give you another chance, but if anything happens in the next few days, we'll be looking into another boarding school."

"Yeah, I got it…"

* * *

Night time fell upon us and I was my aunt's apartment. It's been a while since I actually been here, but it was nice to reminisce in the old setting. I could barely sleep that night and mostly paced around my room.

There was only one other person who knew what I was going through, and that was Castle. So, I waited until Aunt Kate fell asleep and went out to the living room to grab the home phone. Hopefully in this world, Castle's number still happens to be the same. I dialed his number that I knew from memorization and listened to it ring a few times before it was picked up, "Hello?"

"Castle?" I whispered.

"Mini Beckett? Why are you whispering?" he asked.

"So, my aunt won't here me."

"Oh, okay. What's going on?"

"That's why I called you… Do you have any ideas on where we are and why?"

"Actually I do. You know that ancient artifact?"

"The one you shouldn't have picked up at the plant?'

"Yeah…"

"So, what is it?"

"It's apparently some kind of gateway to another world."

"Like an alternate universe?"

"Yeah basically."

I sat down on my bed with a huff and said, "Why'd you have to send us here Castle?"

"Believe me, I wasn't trying to."

"Think we can get back?"

"Maybe… If we can find the artifact maybe we'll be able to poof ourselves back to our world."

"Well, I hope so… I don't like it here."

"I don't like it here either, Em."

"Finally my nickname… I've been missing it so much."

"Your aunt hasn't called you that?"

"No… Apparently I'm not so good to her here. We kind of... drifted apart."

"I'm sorry, Em."

"It's not your fault and at least she knows me."

"Yeah, don't remind me."

I heard movement from the hall and said, "I gotta go, Castle. Hopefully we'll figure this out."

"Bye, Em. I promise I will."

I hung up the phone and quickly went to bed, hoping that in the morning I'll be back in my world.

* * *

The next morning came, and Aunt Kate woke me up by saying, "Emily, You're going to be late for school."

I sighed to myself as I laid in my bed and figured that I was still stuck in the other world. I turned over, looking up at Aunt Kate, and said, "Aunt Kate, can't I just take the day off today? Yesterday, was still a bit confusing for me."

She let out a short huff and said, "Okay, fine, but only for today."

"Can I go to work with you?"

"I wouldn't have it any other way. I don't trust you being left alone yet."

"Fair enough."

* * *

We got ready to go and headed to the precinct. I was sitting in Aunt Kate's office, watching her do paper work while still trying to wrap my head around this whole new reality. Aunt Kate stopped doing her work, and pulled out one of Castle's books.

"So you do know Castle?" I asked.

"I know of him… I liked his Derrick Storm novels," she said.

"Interesting."

She rolled her eyes and went back to reading the story in her hand. A few minutes later, Castle walked in and said, "So, you're a fan. And here I thought you didn't know me."

She looked over at him and stammered out, "Yeah, I don't. I mean, I didn't. I…"

"Didn't recognize me in my deranged state?" he chuckled and continued his spiel, "Listen I have to apologize. How I acted, you must have thought I was crazy."

"Well, yeah. That's because you were."

"Yeah. It's this new book I've been working on. I have been working non-stop. I mean, I have been drinking coffee, popping NoDoz. I haven't slept in days. And to make matters worse, the new character, I kind of based her on you. What I've read about you. So, she's savvy and smart and driven, and I have fallen in love with her. I mean, I eat with her, I sleep with her. But I know you are not her."

Nice one, Castle, I thought to myself as I watched their interaction go down. Aunt Kate looked at him with her questioning eyes and said, "You know, none of this explains how you know so much about the crime scene."

"I have a police scanner, and I was tracking the investigation. Actually, that's why I'm here, Captain. I know what was in the briefcase, I know where it's going, and I think I know who took it," he said cleverly.

"And how do you know all that?"

"It's complicated, but I do."

Ryan came into the room and said, "Hey, Cap. What's he doing here?"

"I'm not sure," she said with her arms folded across her chest.

"Okay. So, I heard back from the courier company. Turns out our victim was transporting…" Castle cut Ryan off and said, "An ancient Incan artifact."

Ryan looked at him surprised and said, "Yeah. And, uh, it was on its way…" he was cut off once again by Castle who said, "To the Lamont-Doherty laboratories in Palisades, New York, for studies. Scientists believe it was fashioned from a meteorite, but it's proven impenetrable to conventional scans."

Ryan was about to question Castle, but Castle said, "How did I know all this? I used to be a crime novelist, and I still have a few sources," Castle handed over a piece of paper to Aunt Kate and said, "Captain, this is what your victims were killed for."

"And why would someone kill for this?" she asked.

"Well, the folks at the lab said an object like that would be invaluable to any collector," Ryan said, looking over at Castle for reassurance.

Castle nodded and Ryan smiled softly, feeling good about his police work.

"Mr. Castle, you said that you might know who took it,' my aunt said.

"Not exactly who, but I know who is involved."

* * *

We all made our way out to the investigation board and Castle started speaking, "So, the car service was going to pick up Gensler, the courier, from the airport here, take him to the lab here. Basically, north. Yet for some reason, when they were attacked, they ended up here, in Spanish Harlem."

"The opposite way," my aunt said.

"Yes. So either this driver had a terrible sense of direction…"

"Or he was in on it."

"And maybe his partners killed him to silence him."

"Detective Ryan, get me everything you can on that driver," Ryan looked between the two strangely and walked away, "That was surprisingly helpful, Mr. Castle."

"Do you mind if I hang around? See how this turns out?"

"Mmm-hmm. Break room's over there."

"I know."

He walked off and my aunt looked down at me, "Come on."

"Okay," I said, following her back into her office.

* * *

A little while later, Ryan got some more information on the case and we stood around the investigation board once again.

"Okay, so, over the last four days before he was killed, our driver made a…" Ryan stopped, looking over at Castle who was observing them from afar. Ryan looked back at Aunt Kate who gave him a small nod, before continuing what he was saying, "Our driver made a series of phone calls to a pay phone located inside of a restaurant. The only problem is, the place has been shut down the past couple of months."

"Who was he calling?" Esposito asked.

"I have no idea, but check it out. The deserted restaurant, El Chozo, maybe that's where he was headed. It's right near where the SUV was attacked."

"All right. Get up there, see what you can find," my aunt said.

"Uh, Captain, would it be possible for me to ride along? Uh, strictly for research purposes," Castle asked her.

"Is he kidding?" Esposito asked turning to my aunt.

"I would just love the chance to observe, get some details for my book."

"Yeah, sure, Cap. We'll take him along," Ryan said happily.

"What the…" Esposito fussed.

"Dude, that's Martha Rodgers' son. He can get us house seats," Ryan turned to Castle and said, "You can get us house seats, right?"

"Absolutely," Castle said.

"Okay. But do as they say, and don't interfere."

"Can I go too?" I asked.

Everyone looked at me and I suddenly felt extremely small. My aunt shook her head and said, "No, I'm going to have to put my foot down on that."

"Please, I'll behave. I just want to see what it's like on the field…"

"I promise to watch her," Castle said, knowing my reasoning to go with.

She sighed loudly and said, "Okay, but don't get into any trouble."

"I won't, I'll be on my best behavior."

"Come on. Let's go, house seats. You too little Beckett," Ryan said as we left the building.

* * *

Castle and I were riding in the back of the car, Esposito in the driver's seat and Ryan in the passenger seat. Castle squeezed himself between the seats and said, "So, the captain… Is she seeing anyone?"

"She has boyfriends. None of them serious," Ryan said.

"Why, writer boy? What, you think you have a chance with her?" Esposito said to him before turning to Ryan, "And what are you doing, telling crazy over here about everyone's private life?"

"Me?"

"Yeah. You told him about Lanie and me."

"No, no, no, I didn't."

"I'm telling you. Listen to me! I have a gift, all right? I look at people and I see things," Castle said.

"Yeah? Okay," Ryan chuckled, "Uh, what do you see when you look at me?"

"Honey milk and freckles."

"No! That's Jenny O'Malley. Yeah, she used to make me honey milk. She could have been the one."

" _"Could have"_?"

"Yeah. Um, well, when Beckett was promoted to captain, our caseload doubled. Well, I guess I never had time for her."

"Maybe you should give her a call."

"Maybe you should mind your own business," Esposito said and pushed Castle back into his seat.

* * *

We pulled up to El Chozo and Esposito said, "All right, here are the rules. Stay in the car or I shoot you. Got it? Watch him Emily."

I nodded and Castle said, "You wanna crack a window for us?"

Esposito scoffed and he exited the vehicle with Ryan following behind him.

We watched them walk into the facility and Castle said, "Come on."

"Right behind you," I said.

We went into the rundown restaurant and tried to stay low, so Esposito and Ryan wouldn't notice us. I followed behind Castle, going the opposite way of the guys. We were in a kitchen area and spotted a sleeping bag in there. Castle spotted the artifact and picked it up saying, "Yes! Okay. Take us home."

"Nothing happened," I said.

He gave me a glare and held up the artifact again and whispered, "Come on."

A lady came up behind him and put a knife to his throat, "Hand it over or you die."

"Castle, look out." I said.

"Thanks for the warning," he grumbled.

She gave me a short glare and said to Castle, "Who sent you? What do you know?"

"Nobody sent me. Nobody, uh… This, it sent me. The object, it sent me. I saw a blue light, and I ended up here."

Esposito and Ryan came into the room with their guns drawn and said, "NYPD! Drop your knife, now!"

She took off running, but Esposito grabbed her quickly. Since everything happened so quickly, Castle dropped the artifact onto the table, making it shatter into dozens of pieces.

"No!" Castle yelled.

"What the hell, man? You were supposed to wait in the car. You too little Beckett," Ryan said.

"What does it matter now? It's broken. Now we're never getting home. We're stuck here in this life."

I started to feel down, but then Castle said, "But the real one would never break. This is a fake! This is a fake. Where did you get this? And where's the real one?"

"Cuff him, too," Esposito said.

Ryan sighed and pulled out his cuffs too.

* * *

We made it back to the precinct, and Aunt Kate wasn't too happy about the little stunt we pulled. We were in her office and she said, "What the hell do you think you were doing? You could've gotten yourself killed. The both of you could have."

"We had backup. And I did help capture a suspect," Castle said.

"No, you were supposed to accompany and observe, not participate and…" Castle jumped in and said, "Annoy."

"Risk my people's lives. Now, after this morning's antics, I expected you to be on your best behavior."

"Actually, that kind of is my best behavior."

"What?" Aunt Kate asked Esposito who was standing in the doorway.

"Oh, I'm just enjoying the show," he said before showing Aunt Kate a picture of the suspect, "Our suspect's name is Maria Sanchez. She's wanted by the Peruvian government in connection with the bombings at a government building, not to mention the theft and trafficking of stolen artifacts."

Castle took the picture from Esposito and said, "Then that's her. And she's behind it. We need to talk to her."

"No, Mr. Castle. They need to talk to her. You need to go home. You're done with this case," Aunt Kate said.

"But…"

"You're lucky I don't arrest you for obstruction. Officer, please escort Mr. Castle to the elevator. I want him gone."

An officer started to escort Castle out and Castle said, "You don't understand. I need to find this artifact. Beckett, please!"

"Yes, Detective Esposito?" she asked him.

"You're not letting him get to you, are you?" he asked her.

"Don't you have a case to close?"

"Mmm…" he groaned as he walked out.

Aunt Kate looked at me and said, "I thought you weren't going to get into any trouble."

"I… I'm sorry..."

She shook her head and went back to reading Storm Fall by Castle. A few minutes later, she got up and said, "I'm going to go finish this work and check on Ryan and Esposito."

"Okay," I said.

"Stay here."

"I will."

A few more minutes later, she came back and didn't look to happy.

"What happened?" I asked, scared to hear the answer.

"I found Mr. Castle in the observation room. I just had him locked in a holding cell," she said.

"What!?"

"I can't have him running around my precinct. So maybe some time in there will help him think."

I sunk back into my chair and inwardly groaned to myself. Of course Castle would get himself arrested when we're stuck in a crazy alternate universe.

* * *

A few hours later, Aunt Kate asked an officer to take me home because it was getting late. The whole time at home I couldn't stop thinking about how we'll get that artifact back. I hoped we did get that artifact back, so we could get back to our real home.

Since I couldn't stay cooped up in here any longer, I decided to head to Castle's apartment. I walked all the way there and knocked on the door when I got there. The door opened and standing there was Alexis with died black hair and purple highlights.

"Whoa… Alexis…" I said wowed by her new hairstyle.

"Do I know you?" she asked.

"Um… I guess not."

"Are you selling something for school?"

"No… I was looking for your dad, um, Richard Castle."

"Why?"

"He's been working with my aunt at the precinct."

"The one who arrested him."

"Uh... Yeah, that would be the one."

"Well, he's not here right now."

"Oh, okay… Will you tell him I stopped by?"

"Sure…"

"Thanks," I said and headed back home.

Thankfully when I got there, Aunt Kate wasn't home yet, so I wasn't going to get into any more trouble. I decided to go to bed and pray that we'll be able to make it back home.

* * *

The next day came around and Aunt Kate left me a note that told me she was at the precinct. She also told me not to get into any trouble, but I was going to see Castle. We needed to get out of here somehow, before I end up back in boarding school.

I made my way back to Castle's place and I was just about to knock on the door when it opened, revealing just the man I wanted to see.

"Em, what are you doing here?" he asked with a shocked face.

"I'm here to see you," I stated.

"Well, okay," he pulled me with him and said, "Come with me, I have a plan to get Kate back."

"Well, thank god for that."

I followed him down the sidewalk and asked, "So, exactly how are you planning to get her back."

"With my ruggedly handsome look and boyish charm," he said as we stopped at a coffee vendor.

"And coffee?"

"Yep, and coffee."

He ordered a cup of coffee for both him and Aunt Kate and as the vendor made it I said, "You know if you plan on getting her back, like you did in our other world… It's going to take at least six years."

"I think I'll be able to get your aunt to see the real me again. Then hopefully leading us to the artifact."

"Eh… I hope you're right."

"Trust me, I got this."

I groaned and hoped that Castle was right about this one. The vendor finished up and handed him the two cups of coffee, "There you go. That's a large cappuccino for Rick, and a large skinny latte, two pumps sugar-free vanilla, for Kate. Right?"

"Perfect!" Castle said as he handed her the money.

"Awesome."

"Thank you very much," he said and we walked towards the street, Castle signaling for a taxi, "Taxi!"

A guy came up behind him, putting a gun into his side, and said, "That's okay. I'll give you a ride."

"I hate this world," I heard Castle mumbled.

* * *

We were both shoved into a car and taken back to where this whole thing began, the power plant. The man pushed us into the room and Castle said, "Hey, take it easy."

"That's him," some guy in a suit said to another guy in a suit.

"Marcus Lark, Lark Development. So you're behind this," Castle said.

"What do you know about this, Mr. Castle?" Mr. Lark said.

"I know you killed two men for it."

"Oh, you know more than that. My attorney overheard you at the police station, so I had him check up on you. Pretty strange behavior the last two days. Which means either you're psychotic, or this isn't your world."

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

"I think you do," he said as he opened the briefcase with the real artifact inside it, "Do you know how many years I spent looking for this? Hearing the whispered secrets, ancient alien technology, naturally-occurring quantum anomalies, the power of God. I spent years untangling legend from truth. The Incans believed it was a gateway to the gods, but it's not. It's a doorway to the infinite. A chance to change my destiny. I know everything about this, Mr. Castle. Except how it works."

"You're rich, successful. You have everything. Why would you wanna change your destiny?"

"No man lives without regrets. Now then, Mr. Castle, how does it work?"

"I don't know. I was holding on to it, and it just happened."

"Look, I don't wanna hurt you. But I will if you don't tell me how it works."

"I swear to you, I don't know."

"Shoot the kid."

"What?" we both said.

"NYPD! Drop your weapon, now!" Aunt Kate said, firing at the man who abducted us as he turned to shoot at her.

Castle grabbed the artifact and said, "Regret this!"

He hit Mr. Lark in the face with the artifact and knocked him out. Aunt Kate ran over to us and asked, "Are you guys okay?"

"Yeah," we said.

"How'd you find us?" Castle asked.

"I couldn't stop thinking about what you said, about compromise. So I decided to retrace the investigation. It's just pure luck that it brought me here when it did."

"Or fate."

"Why are you here? What did they want from you?"

"Something I guess I didn't have," a gun cocked in the distance and Castle jumped in front of my aunt, "Look out!"

He was shot twice in the chest and Aunt Kate shot and killed the other man. I dropped next to Castle and my aunt did the same thing.

"Oh, God! Mr. Castle, you saved my life. Why?" she asked as she looked him over.

"Because I love you, Kate," he whispered out.

He started dying and I said, "Don't leave me here Castle. I don't want to be in this world alone."

I grabbed the hand that held onto the artifact and another blue light started shining in my eyes once again. I could vaguely hear my aunt call out to Castle as he was dying.

* * *

I felt someone shaking me and barely heard my name being called out. I turned over and said, "Ow… what!?"

I opened my eyes and saw Castle alive and without bullet holes. I quickly embraced him and said, "You're alive."

"Yeah, I'm not dead," he said with a short chuckle.

"What happened? You two hit your head?" Aunt Kate asked.

"No. How long were we gone?"

"I don't know. We got separated. Ryan and Esposito got here just in time with backup."

We got up and walked out of the small room. Ryan came over with two of the suspects at hand and said, "Hey, Castle and Mini B, you missed all the excitement. We were awesome. Weren't we, Javi?"

"As usual," Esposito said as he pulled Lark along.

"Lark?" Castle questioned.

"It looks like he was behind the theft. Although none of them are talking. You know, the one thing that we haven't been able to find is the object that was in the briefcase," Aunt Kate said.

Castle patted himself down and pulled out the artifact, "When you hold this, do not wonder even for a second if you'd be better off anyplace else but here."

"Okay," my aunt said as she took the artifact from him.

* * *

We made our way back to the precinct and we told her everything about our alternate universe experience. As we exited off the elevator, she said, "So, in this alternate universe, I was the captain and you and I have never met? And Emily was still a handful."

"Hey…" I mumbled.

She chuckled patting my shoulder and Castle said, "You were married to your work. A lot like when you were when I met you."

"And how were you without me? Did you win the Pulitzer?" she asked him.

"Pfft," I snickered.

Castle nudged me softly and said, "Uh, I was still waiting to hear. But I admit that my life was nowhere near as wonderful without you."

"That's quite a dream. Magical artifacts and parallel worlds."

"Yeah, it was a lot more than that."

"But it couldn't have been a dream… How could it intertwine?" I asked.

"Stranger things have happened," my aunt said.

I nodded and Castle said, "You know, the only other world I would ever want to visit is the one where I made it to our wedding."

"Me, too."

"Yeah, I know. It's the reason I haven't been sleeping. And I keep trying to figure it out. How do you live with a man who's lost two months of his life and left you at the altar? How do I live with the pain I know I've caused you? How do we get past this?"

"I wish I knew."

"I think I have the answer. We just do. So, Katherine Beckett, will you marry me?"

She grinned widely and said, "I've already said yes."

"Will you marry me right now?"

Her smile grew wider and she said, "Yes."

"Awesome," I said.

They chuckled at me and grinned back at them, happy they were finally going to tie the knot.

* * *

We went to the Hamptons, getting ready for a small wedding in such a short notice. The sun was starting to set, which made the atmosphere even more romantic for this special wedding. I put on a simple purple dress and black flats for the special occasion. Mrs. Rodgers, Alexis, and I were standing in a nice gazebo with the preacher, waiting for the ceremony to begin.

Castle came running up in his suit and said to the priest, "Hey. Thank you for coming on such short notice."

He went over to his daughter, giving her a kiss on the cheek and then to his mother.

"Oh, darling, I am so proud of you," she said as she hugged him.

"Mother, you know that audition?" he asked.

"Yeah."

"I really think you should go for it."

"All right. Thank you."

"Okay. Let's do it. Oh, I got it, okay," he said as he patted himself down for the ring.

He looked over at me and I gave him a thumbs up. He gave me a small one back and then Aunt Kate came out with grandpa on her arm. She was wearing a simple white lacey top with white dress pants and it was paired with tall white heels.

They walked down the aisle and into the gazebo with all of us. She gave grandpa a hug and kiss before going over to Castle. She then turned back to me and looked down at her bouquet saying, "Oh. Em."

I took it from her and she gave me a small smile before turning back to Castle.

"Hi," she said to him.

"Hi," he said.

"Whenever you're ready," the priest said.

"Yes," she said and placed Castle's ring on his finger, "The moment that I met you, my life became extraordinary. You taught me to be my best self, to look forward to tomorrow's adventures. And when I was vulnerable, you were strong. I love you, Richard Castle, and I wanna live my life in the warmth of your smile and the strength of your embrace. I promise you I will love you. I will be your friend and your partner in crime and in life. Always."

Castle put on Aunt Kate's ring and said, "The moment we met, my life became extraordinary. You taught me more about myself than I knew there was to learn. You are the joy of my heart, and you're the last person I wanna see every night when I close my eyes. I love you, Katherine Beckett. And the mystery of you is the one I want to spend the rest of my life exploring. I promise to love you, to be your friend and your partner in crime and life. Till death do us part, and for the time of our lives."

"By the power vested in me by the state of New York, I now pronounce you husband and wife," the priest said.

Aunt Kate chuckled before pulling Castle into a romantic kiss. They were finally married and I was super thrilled with that, we were one step closer to being a real family.

* * *

They all popped a bottle of champagne after the wedding was over and said, "Cheers. To the wedded couple."

As they all drank the champagne, I was drinking a nice glass of apple juice. I looked over at the gazeebo which still held Aunt Kate and my, now, Uncle Rick, and they were dancing slowly together in the romantic sunset.

I smiled happily at my new family and would never change a thing about this world… My world.

* * *

AN 2: I was going to go a completely different route with this chapter and fitting Emily in it, but I thought it would be fun to have her go to the alternate universe too. Thanks for reading and see you at the next update.


	56. Chapter 56

AN: Thank's to everyone for following, favoriting, and reviewing this story. Here's the next chapter everybody, enjoy. Don't forget to Review. :)

Disclaimer: I do not own Castle or it's characters. Also, I don't own Youtube or Jacksepticeye.

* * *

Adoption?

It was the weekend, and I was hanging out on Castle's couch, watching YouTube videos on my laptop. I had my headphones on and was getting ready to watch my favorite youtuber start one of the games he usually plays. It was one of my favorite series too, so I was excited to see what he had in store for the new episode. While I was waiting for the video to load, I heard my Aunt and Uncle Rick chatting away in the kitchen as they made lunch.

My Aunt Kate and Uncle Rick have been doing pretty well since they got married. It was really cool to be a part of a happy little family, especially since I've never really been a part of one. My Aunt and Uncle have just come back from their "honeymoon" about a few days ago. It wasn't technically a real honeymoon because they went to an Old Western resort undercover, so they could solve a murder that happened. They're planning on going on a real honeymoon in the future, but for now, that little trip is going to have to do.

My video finally loaded, so I hit the play button, and I was met with a loud high-fiving sound. I decided to do his intro with him because how could I not.

"Top of the mornin' to ya laddies! My name is Jacksepticeye and welcome back to…" I threw my hands in the air and screamed, "HAPPY WHEEEEELS!"

Someone lifted the left side of my headphones off and said, "Emily… No screaming…"

I looked bashful over at my aunt who was standing next to the couch with a drink in her hand. I paused my video and said, "Sorry Aunt Kate, I got into the moment."

Castle plopped down next to me and looked at the video on screen, "Eh…. That looks pretty brutal."

"It's awesome… And this guy, Sean, AKA Jacksepticeye, is a total boss. Not just at this game, but at so many others. Well… Sometimes he sucks, but it's not his fault. He can't be good at everything."

"So… he plays videogames on here?"

"Yep… It's super cool. He's my favorite… His blue eyes are so dreamy and his smile is adorable… He's just an adorkable guy…"

"Adorkable?"

"Adorable and a dork put together.

"Ah… Kate, do you think we should lock her in her room now?"

My aunt chuckled and said, "We can't just lock her in her room Castle."

"Why not?"

"First off, that's illegal and child abuse… Second of all, we can't stop her from liking boys."

"But I don't want her to grow up… I already lost Alexis, I can't have my little buddy leaving me too."

"Don't worry Castle… We still have a few more good years ahead of us," I said smiling at him.

"See that… She's still a kid… We don't have to lock her away just yet," my aunt said with a smile.

"Hey… Will you really lock me in my room?"

"No, we wouldn't do that."

"I would," Castle said, then pulled me close, "I don't want my mini Beckett to grow up."

I struggled in Castle's embrace and said, "Sorry Castle, but I'm not Peter Pan… I have to grow up someday."

"She's got a point, Castle," Aunt Kate said still chuckling at our little squabble.

"Ugh… Fine, I guess I'll just have to watch my mini Beckett become a bigger Beckett," Castle said with fake sadness.

I finally got out of his embrace and said, "Don't worry… I'm sure you and Aunt Kate will have plenty little ones running around."

"And that's my que to get back to the precinct," my aunt said as she went to place her drink in the sink.

"She's right Kate… Mini Castle's and more Mini Beckett's running around," Castle said with a goofy smile.

"Ummm… Maybe, someday… Let's talk about that later," she said as she put her coat on.

"Fine…" he grumbled as he got off the couch.

"Okay, Em. Be good, don't cause any trouble, and we'll see you later."

"Okay, I won't. Bye, guys," I said watching them getting ready to leave.

"Bye mini Beckett… Don't grow up until I get back," Castle said with a smile.

"I'm pretty sure it doesn't work like that, but I'll make sure it doesn't happen."

They both laughed as they walked out the door and I smiled to myself. I was having a lot of fun lately with everyone and it was what I always imagined a real family would be as a kid. Well… without the kidnapping and crazy killers, but it can't be perfect, right? I shrugged to myself at my lingering thoughts and went back to the video I was going to watch before I was distracted.

* * *

I cracked my eyes open, and heard Alexis and Mrs. Rodgers talking in the kitchen. I didn't know I fell asleep on the couch, but I guess after watching dozens of videos on YouTube, I kind of conked out. I decided to stay on the couch quietly and listen in on Alexis and Mrs. Rodgers conversation.

"I don't know gram, it's kind of bugging me. Every time my friends and I pass that little boy, we feel so bad. Today was the worst shape we've seen him in this past month. He has bruises all over and looks malnourished. But he says it was him and his friends tussling around, but we know there's more to it than that," Alexis said with sadness clear in her voice.

"That poor boy. I'm not quite sure what you could do darling, but I'm sure Beckett and your father could look into it," Mrs. Rodgers said.

"That's what I was thinking. I just didn't know if I should get involved."

"I think you should. I saw many kids worse off than me when I still lived with my mama. It wouldn't be fair to leave him with people who don't care about him," I said walking over to them.

"I didn't know you were awake Emily?"

"I wasn't, but I heard you guys talking and I thought I'd umm… I'd…"

"Eavesdrop?" Mrs. Rodgers questioned.

"Yeah…"

"It's all right, It's not like it was much of a secret anyway. So, you think we should do something about it?" Alexis asked.

I nodded my head and said, "I think that would be a great idea. You don't know what could happen to him. I'm sure Aunt Kate and Uncle Rick will be able to solve this."

Both of the women in the room smiled at me and I said, "What?"

"It's cute seeing you call my son your uncle," Mrs. Rodgers said.

"Yeah… It shows how close you are to my dad and us," Alexis said.

"Yeah, it's pretty neat. It's still hard to get used to, but I've been calling him my uncle more and more now," I said.

"Yes, of course it will take a while to fully get into the habit, but just having you here and a part of the family is great for all of us," Mrs. Rodgers said with a heartwarming smile.

"Yep, and it's like I have a little sister," Alexis said.

"Thanks," I said with a small smile.

Alexis patted my back and said, "No problem."

"How about we go out to dinner at that new restaurant, just the three of us?" Mrs. Rodgers said.

"That's sounds great, gram. We haven't been out together with just the three of us, not in a while anyway."

"Yeah, it sounds like fun," I said.

"All right… Let's get going before we hit the crowd," Mrs. Rodgers said as she headed towards the door.

We all grabbed our coats and headed out the door, making our way towards the new restaurant to have some bonding time.

* * *

The next day came around and Alexis told Uncle Rick and Aunt Kate all about the little boy in the park. They had a brief discussion about the situation and my aunt said that it was a smart idea to look into it.

We all decided to go the park and that's where we were now. As we walked down the pathway of the park, Aunt Kate said, "So, do you see him often, Alexis?"

"Not too often, but usually once a week or so. We don't come down this way often," Alexis said.

"And you never seen him this bad before?" Castle questioned.

"No, yesterday is definitely the worst shape we have seen him in. It was horrible…"

"Hopefully he's here and we can talk to him," my aunt said.

"Yeah…"

We made it to the area Alexis pointed out and there was a young boy, around seven, standing meekly by a pole, watching all the other boys and girls play at the playground. My aunt crouched down next to him, not wanting to scare him and said, "Do you want to play with the others?"

The little boy shied away from my aunt and looked over at Alexis, recognition filling his face. He looked between the four of us and looked back at Alexis with a confused face.

Alexis crouched by him like my aunt and said, "Hi, Timmy… This is my dad and my stepmom, Detective Beckett. This is her niece Emily."

He nodded at her and said softly, "Hi…"

"It's okay to talk to her… She's really nice."

He shyly peeked over at my aunt and said, "I don't want to get into trouble..."

"You won't get into any trouble, I promise," my aunt said

"Okay…"

"How did you get these bruises?"

"I was tussling with my friends and I fell …"

"I don't really think that's what happened."

"It's okay, Timmy…. You can tell her, we can protect you," Castle said.

He shook his head and my aunt sighed, looking up at Castle with hopelessness. The boy looked over at me and said, "Her…"

I gave the kid a questioning look and asked, "Me?"

"I only want to talk to her."

"Okay…" my aunt said before walking over to me, "Befriend him, Em… I think because you're closer to his age, he'll confide in you."

I nodded and said, "Okay."

Castle gave me some money and said, "Here, take him over to the ice cream vendor and have some ice cream," he looked over at the kid and said, Do you like ice cream, pal?"

The kid smiled a little bit and nodded excitedly. Castle turned back to me and said, "See… Kids love ice cream."

"Okay… I'll see what I can do," I said.

"All right, we'll be over here if you need us," my aunt said, motioning to the benches by the pole.

"Got it," I said before turning to Timmy, "Come on little Timmy."

"Don't call me little," he said with a pout.

I smirked at him and said, "Sure thing."

We walked over to the ice cream vendor and stood in the short line. I looked down at the kid next to me and asked, "So… What would you like?"

"I want a Firecracker Popsicle," he said with a smile.

"Okay, that's a good one… I think I'll have the same."

"Really?"

"Yeah, why not?"

He shrugged and said, "I don't know… Not too many people agree with me."

"Oh… Is it your parents?"

"Well, yeah… But they aren't around too much… But when they are…"

"I understand."

"No, you don't."

We moved up a place in line and I said, "I do… My mom wasn't the best to me…"

He looked up at me with a confused face and said, "Your mom didn't care about you either?"

"Not really… She did drugs and wasn't around a lot… She never hurt me, but I think the emotional trauma is the worst."

He nodded and said, "How'd you get away?"

"She… um… She died…So… that's when my aunt took me in… I was about a year older than you."

"Oh… That sucks… My Uncle wants to take me away and adopt me… but every time he tries, my parents won't sign the papers to hand me off."

"Do you want to go with your uncle?"

"Yeah… He has a big house, and doggies, and my cousins are around my age. It's so cool…"

"Sounds like fun."

"Yeah, but he's not allowed to come see me anymore… I want him to save me."

"I know the feeling, Timmy."

He looked towards the ground and nodded sadly. We stepped up to the vendor and I ordered our popsicles for the two of us. Once the vendor handed them over and I paid, I walked Timmy over to a bench near the ice-cream truck. We started to eat our popsicles quietly until I spoke up, "You know you could tell my aunt about your parents."

"I don't want them to get into trouble… They always said if I get them into trouble, I won't see anybody again," he said looking at his Popsicle.

"My aunt will make sure nothing happens to you… She'll contact your uncle and everything will be fine."

"Are you sure?"

He was looking at me with hope shining in his hazel eyes, and I wasn't positive on the outcome of this whole situation, but I didn't want him to lose that hope. I gave him a reassuring smile and said, "I'm sure… We'll help you."

His smile grew a little and said, "Yay…"

We went back to eating our popsicles and sat together in a comfortable silence.

* * *

We took Timmy back to the precinct with us after we were able to gain his trust and he was sitting in the interrogation room, waiting for my aunt to go talk with him. We were all by Aunt Kate's desk, discussing the options of helping poor little Timmy.

"What can we do, Beckett?" Esposito asked.

"I don't know… We clearly have evidence that his parents have been abusing him and neglecting him. It's just trying to deal with child welfare and trying to get the clearance for his uncle to take him," my aunt said.

"If that doesn't happen, he goes to foster care?" Castle questioned.

"Yeah…"

"But there is a chance we'll be able to arrest his parents and save him from this life?" Alexis asked.

"Yeah, it's definitely possible. I'll have to go sit down and talk with him, so I can get more information, but I think we definitely have enough evidence to arrest parents."

"Javi and I will go contact the uncle and see if he'll come to the precinct to give us a statement," Ryan said.

"Okay, thanks guys."

"No problem," they said as they went to contact the uncle.

"I'm going to go talk to Timmy, and see if he's ready to tell me about his parents."

"Okay," we said and she walked into the interrogation room.

As we waited, Alexis started to speak, "Do you think we'll be able to help him?"

"I don't now, Alexis. The precinct knows what they're doing, but things like this get tricky," Castle said.

"Yeah, I know… But even if he has to go to foster care, he'll be safer."

"Not necessarily," I interjected.

"Mmm… I guess you have a point, but I don't want to jinx it," Castle said.

"Yeah… I want him to be happy like me."

"Yeah, you made it through all right."

"Yes, and I'm grateful for that."

They smiled at me and we waited for Aunt Kate to finish up with Timmy.

A few minutes later, Aunt Kate came out of the room and walked over to us.

"Did he tell you anything?" Castle asked.

"Yes, he did… It was pretty disturbing, but pretty much what we expected," she said.

"So you'll be able to arrest the parents?" Alexis asked.

"I'm pretty sure we have enough evidence to search their place and bring them in for questioning."

"That's good, right?" I asked.

She nodded slowly and said, "It could be… We have to see."

Ryan and Esposito came over and Ryan said, "Hey we got in contact with, Dave Vinton, Timmy's uncle. He said he would be down here as soon as possible."

"That's good… Stay here and wait for him, and get a statement from him. Castle and I are going to take a team over to Timmy's home and see if we can apprehend Mr. and Mrs. Vinton."

"All right," Esposito said.

They all went their separate ways and we waited to see if they could put this small case in the bag.

* * *

Alexis stayed around with me in the precinct and we even hung out with little Timmy. I gathered some of the extra paper that the precinct had and found my old markers that thankfully still worked. The three of us drew a few pictures and conversed with each other. We were having a great time, until we were interrupted by a man's voice, "Timmy?"

Timmy looked over towards the door of the room we were in and yelled, "Uncle Dave!"

He flew from his seat and jumped into his uncle's arms. His uncle held him close and gave him a long kiss on the head. Timmy pulled away slightly and said, "Are you going to keep me safe?"

"Yeah… Yeah, of course, buddy. I'm not going to let your parents keep you from me again."

"Yay… I'm glad you're here."

"Me too."

Esposito came over and said, "Mr. Vinton, we need to ask you some questions before you get to close to your nephew. This is still a sensitive and open case."

"Right… right, I understand, detective," Mr. Vinton looked back at Timmy and said, "I have to go talk to these officers first bud. Then we can hang out, okay?"

Timmy nodded his head and said sadly, "Okay."

His uncle gave him another kiss and put him back on the ground. He walked away with Esposito and Timmy came back over to finish his picture. Alexis glanced over his drawing and asked, "Is that you with your Uncle and his family?"

"Yeah, it is. And those are his two dogs, Skipper and Dingo."

"That's really cool."

"Yeah… Am I really going to go live with them?"

Alexis looked over at me, then back at him, and said, "Yeah, I bet you will."

He smiled and went back to finishing his picture again.

* * *

About a half hour later, Timmy's uncle was able to sit with him in the room we were occupying, and Alexis and I gave them some space. While we were waiting around, Aunt Kate came into the precinct with Castle following behind her. Two uniformed police officers walked, what I assumed Timmy's parents, off towards the interrogation room, so they could question them further. Aunt Kate and Castle, came over to us and Alexis asked, "Is that the parents?"

"Yeah, they put up a little fight, but we were able to restrain them," Aunt Kate said.

"The place they lived at though, was a complete mess. It was worse than your old apartment mini Beckett," Castle said.

"Wow, that's pretty hard to beat," I said with wonderment.

"Yeah, I can't believe anyone was living there, especially a young boy," Aunt Kate said.

"Speaking of young boy… Where is Timmy?" Castle asked.

"He's catching up with his uncle right now, in the conference room," Alexis said.

"That's good."

We nodded and Ryan came over to us, "Got ahold of DCF… They said they'll be here soon to discuss the case."

"All right, let them know what's going on when they get here. Castle and I are going to go interrogate Mr. and Mrs. Vinton," my aunt said.

"Got it… I'll go let Dave Vinton know about the circumstances," Ryan said.

My aunt nodded and they all went off to do their separate tasks. I went off to watch the interrogation go down in the observation room and Alexis joined me, wanting to know the outcome to this case as well. We watched through the two-way mirror as her dad and my aunt sat opposite of the neglectful parents.

"Jessica and Nathanial Vinton, we have reasons to believe that you abuse your son and are negligent parents," my aunt said.

"Pfft… You have nothin' on us detective… Our son is just fine," Mr. Vinton said.

"Do you know where your sons been all day?"

"Little brat runs off all the damn time… Can barely keep track of 'im. Not our fault he's all over the place and gettin' into trouble."

"He was at the park, Mr. Vinton. Just like he always is," Castle said.

"Listen we…" Mrs. Vinton started.

"Don't feed into their bull, Jess. They don't have nothin' on us… If we just keep quiet, they'll let us go," Mr. Vinton said, looking over at his wife with anger.

"Mr. Vinton, we have plenty of evidence that you are not suitable to parent Timmy. I'm sure we'll find plenty of stuff around the house, not to mention the state Timmy is in right now," my aunt said.

Mr. Vinton sighed loudly and said, "Fine… Jess, say what'eva you were gonna say…"

Jess looked sadly at my aunt and Castle from across the table, "We know we haven't been the best to our Timmy. It's really hard, we barely pay bills and then the rest of the money… It goes to… it goes to drugs… We rarely have food in the house and we're usually to out of it to even think about him. I'm sorry…"

"Why haven't you handed him over to his uncle?" Castle asked.

"Ha, my good for nothin' brother… thinkin' he's hot shit because he has a good job and a fancy house. I ain't lettin' my son near 'im," Mr. Vinton said with a sneer.

"Well, I don't think you have much of a choice now," my aunt said.

"Can I see him? Just, one last time before I go away…" Mrs. Vinton said sadly.

"I don't know if that is such a good idea," my aunt said.

"They ain't lettin' 'im anywhere near us, Jess. Didn't care about 'im anyway," Mr. Vinton said.

"I'm sorry," my aunt said to Mrs. Vinton before Castle and her left the room.

We all left the rooms we were in and my aunt told the uniformed cops to book them for their offences. We saw Ryan, Timmy's uncle, and a DCF worker talking together in the hallway and I was hoping they were going to let him have Timmy. I saw Mr. Vinton, Timmy's dad, look at the interaction across the hall, and he broke free from the officers grasp. He bolted for his brother and Jess screamed out for him to stop. Mr. Vinton didn't listen as he threw his brother up against the wall of the precinct and yelled, "You can't take my son from me!"

"You never cared about him! What does it matter anymore?" Dave yelled back.

Mr. Vinton didn't even answer, and threw some wild punches at his brother. They started to tussle roughly and Ryan and Esposito tried desperately to break the two men apart. When they were finally able to break them apart, all four men were panting heavily as they tried to recover from the heavy exertion. Esposito handed off Timmy's dad to the same police offer, but this time he handcuffed him, and led him quickly out of the room.

Captain Gates came out of her office and asked, "Is everyone all right?"

"Yes, sir… We have it under control," Aunt Kate said.

"Are you sure?" she asked Ryan.

"Yes sir," Ryan said with a nod.

"Okay... Good work… Finish up this case," she said before heading back inside her office.

"You okay, Mr. Vinton?" Aunt Kate asked.

He wiped his slightly bloody nose and said, "Yeah… Yeah, I'll be fine."

"Mommy?" Timmy asked as he came out of the conference room.

"Timmy," she said.

He ran to her, giving her a large hug, and asked, "Are you going away?"

"I am, but uncle Dave is going to take real good care of you."

"Okay… I love you mommy."

"I love you too, Timmy."

"Ma'am," the uniformed officer said.

She nodded and got taken away just like her husband did minutes before. Timmy went over to his uncle after watching his mother get taken away and his uncle picked him up, keeping him close.

"Will I be able to take him home?" Dave asked.

The DCF worker nodded and said, "You can take him home. I'm sure after the events today, he'll need his family to be with him. But we will check in from time to time to make sure he is getting the proper care he needs."

"I understand… Will I be able to adopt him?"

"We recommend you to wait a little while. But I'm sure you'll be able to do so down the road."

"Thank you."

"You're welcome… Let me walk you out and I can discuss some more information with you."

"Yes, thanks… But I would like to thank some people first."

"Sure thing… I'll be by the elevator."

The DCF worker walked away and Dave came over to us and said, "Thank you… Thank you all. You don't know how much this means to me."

"It's not a problem at all. It's our jobs to protect this city," my aunt said.

"Yeah… Now I might finally be able to help him and adopt him like I've been wanting to do since he was born."

"I'm sure it'll all work out for you guys," Castle said.

"Yes, thanks again and goodbye."

He shook everyone's hands before he started to leave and Timmy spoke up in his arms, "Bye, Alexis… Bye, Emily… Thanks for helping me."

"Bye and your welcome," we said as we waved to him and his uncle as they left.

"Wow, what a crazy case today," Esposito said.

"Yeah, but we helped a kid and part of his family," Ryan said with a smile.

"Yep, and it's all thanks to Alexis for letting us know," Castle said.

"Yes, it is. Who knows what would have happened if we didn't know about him," Aunt Kate said.

"It was nothing, and I couldn't have brought it to justice without all of you. Also Emily was able to get him to open up and trust us," Alexis said.

"Yep, good job mini Beckett," Castle said with a smile

"It was nothing," I said with my own smile.

They all chuckled and discussed a little bit more of the case before we all decided to head home.

* * *

We made it home and Castle decided to pop some champagne to celebrate another job well done. Of course I stuck with some juice while the adults drank their alcohol. Castle raised his glass and said, "To another case closed and helping a small boy and uncle reunite with each other."

"Here, here," we said with a small chuckle.

They clinked their glasses with one another and took a few swigs of their drinks.

"You know, Dave talking about adopting his nephew, really got me thinking," Castle said.

"About what?" my aunt asked with a raised brow.

"Adoption."

"You're going to adopt a kid?" Alexis asked looking just as confused as my aunt and I.

"No… not just any kid," he looked at me and said, "Mini Beckett."

I raised my brows and asked with surprise, "You want to adopt me?"

"Yeah, why not? There have been plenty of times we've thought about it."

"He has a point… I wanted to make it official too, but I was never sure when the right time would be," my aunt said.

"I think you guys should do it… It would be great to have Emily officially apart of our family," Alexis said with a smile.

"I'm all for it, but it's up to you Mini Beckett. What do you say?" Castle asked me.

I looked at the three people in the room, knowing how far we've come and how much love I have for them. I smiled brightly and said, "I would love to be adopted by you guys."

Castle pulled me close and said, "Yay! Then that settles it. I can contact a lawyer and we can get this process underway… Is that good with you Kate?"

"Yep, that's fine with me," She said with a smile.

"Great," Castle raised his glass again, "To our future step-daughter/ niece… hmm… We'll figure it out."

We all chuckled and said, "Here, here."

Everyone started to talk amongst themselves, so I kind of went into my mind, thinking about the things that were on it. I'm happy that Castle and my aunt Kate are officially going to adopt me, now they'll have more legal coverage over me and it'll really feel like we're a true family. I never thought I would be in this moment when I was little, but I'm glad I am.


	57. Chapter 57

AN: I had an episode planned out for this chapter, but I didn't get to it in time. So I came up with this little thing. I have to go on hiatus for about a month and a half, but I'll be back sometime in August, hopefully. Thank's to everyone for following, favoriting, and reviewing this story. Here's the next chapter everybody, enjoy. Don't forget to Review. :)

Disclaimer: I do not own Castle or it's characters.

* * *

Seven

" _Just hear those sleigh bells jinglin, ring ting tinglin to... Come on it's lovely weather for a sleigh ride together with you... The snow is fallin and friends are callin "you who." Come on it's lovely weather for a sleigh ride together with you..._ " I sang as I went into the kitchen of Castle's apartment.

"Are you going to be singing that all winter long, Em?" My aunt asked me.

"Maybe... But at least I didn't start before Halloween, like some people," I said as I looked over at Castle who was drinking coffee.

"Hey, it's not my fault they started to put up the Christmas displays early. I just can't help it, once the spirit of Christmas hits, I'm all in," Castle said.

"Well, as long as you two keep your caroling to a minimum, I'm okay with that," my aunt said.

"Okay, Scrooge."

"Bah humbug."

We chuckled and I asked, "Hey, aunt Kate?"

"What's up, Em?"

"Can I go to the mall with Mike and Leon today?"

"Yeah, sure... Just make sure you bundle up and stay out of trouble.".

"I always stay out of trouble."

"Yeah right... I always have to worry about you and Castle getting into something."

"Hey, I don't get into that much trouble," Castle said.

"Sure you don't."

"I dont."

I laughed at him and then my aunt's phone rang. She picked it up and Castle leaned into her, so he could hear what was going on. My aunt pushed him away from the phone with her hand and said, "Yeah, I got it. We'll be their in ten."

She hung up and Castle asked, "Do we have a murder?"

"Yes, a double homicide at a mechanic shop."

"Ooh, so much fun."

Aunt Kate rolled her eyes and said, "let's go," before turning to me and said, "Don't get into any trouble and don't stay out to late."

"I know... I know. I'll be back by dinner time," I said.

"Okay, I'll see you later."

"Bye mini Beckett," Castle said with a wave goodbye.

I waved bye to my aunt and uncle, and got my breakfast before meeting up with my friends.

* * *

I was at the mall with Mike and Leon and we started window shopping for things our family might like and what we might like.

"Ooh... Check it out," Mike said as he squished his face against the window of the electronic shop we were at.

"It's the new games system everyone's been talking about," Leon said.

"It's like 500 dollars," I said.

"Bet your uncle can get it for you?"

"Probably, but why should I get the new one when the old one is just a year and a half old."

"Uh duh... Because the graphics are higher quality and I heard this new one has some sweet new features. Man... Gaming at it's finest," Mike said.

"That's definitely true. Man, I'd kill for that system," I raised a brow at Leon and he reiterated his sentence carefully, "You know what I mean... I'd do anything for it."

We laughed at him and I said, "I know what you mean. But I bet in just a year or two they'll come out with something better."

"More than likely, but I'll probably want that too... Keeping up with the joneses, am I right?"

"yeah, yeah... Let's just go before you guys want to raid the whole store."

"Okay..." Mike said with a pout.

We started walking through the mall again and Mike asked, "Hey Em, is it okay if Leon and I go check something out?"

"Why can't I come?" I asked looking at Mike questionably.

"It's no reason... I just... It's just a surprise, okay?"

"All right... All right, I was just messing with you."

Mike got all flustered and his brother started laughing at him.

"Shut up," Mike said as he pushed his brother.

Leon tried to cover up his laughter, but it was still coming out as small chuckles.

"Anyway, you two go do whatever you're doing, and I'll go use the restroom," I said.

"Okay, we'll meet back here in ten," Leon said.

"Sure thing."

We both went our separate ways and I headed to the restrooms.

* * *

When I reached the hallway of the bathrooms, I found a couple arguing by the fire exit. As I approached, I made sure I stayed low and hid behind a steel garbage can by a bench. Thankfully it was large enough to cover me from view, and I continued to watch the couple from the shadows.

"Get away from me... You're a psycho," the lady said.

"I'm just doing what they tell me..." He said as he took out a blade.

"Please..." She started, but was cut off by the man stabbing her in the abdomen several times.

She dropped to the floor and he quickly took off, leaving through the fire exit's door. I waited until he was fully out of sight and made my way over to the woman. I dropped to her side and she took several ragged breaths. She reached for my hand and I took it, not wanting her to be alone.

"S... Se..." she started to say.

"What?" I asked her, not knowing what she was trying to say.

"Seven..."

Her eyes went wide as she took her final breath, and then she closed her eyes, her body going still. I looked at her lifeless body and wondered what seven meant.

* * *

Several minutes later, the police arrived at the mall. They shut the whole place down for the rest of the day because of this bizarre incident. I was standing with my aunt and Uncle by the body and she said, "How does this always happen?"

"It's not my fault I always come across a murder," I said.

She sighed and said, "I know... But it seems like you and Castle always have death gravitating around you."

"Eh... Makes us sound like we're Grim Reapers," Castle said.

Ryan and Esposito came over and Esposito chimed in, "Well, you two kind of are... I mean, how many bodies dropped between the two of you since you started hanging out here."

"Guess you have a point."

"Well whatever the case may be, we have a murder to solve," my aunt turned to me and asked, "Did you see anything that could be helpful, Em?

"No, the man who was here never turned... And he was wearing a black hoodie, so I only heard his voice," I said.

"All right... And there was nothing else?"

"Actually... There was one thing."

"What was it?" Castle asked, anticipation written all over his face.

"She said Seven."

Castle went from giddy to confused in a heartbeat.

"Seven? Seriously?" My aunt asked.

"Yeah," I said.

"What does that even mean?" Ryan asked, looking just as confused as everyone else.

"I got it..." Castle said with a smirk on his face.

"Here we go," Esposito said.

"Here me out... Seven... Seven days... Like that horror movie. Emily only has seven days to live."

"That's the worst theory ever," I said to him.

"What? Why? It makes sense."

"I don't want to die in seven days."

"You're not going to die, Em. I'm pretty sure there is a more logical explanation for all this," my aunt said.

"Yeah, like part of a license plate number, phone number, or PO Box," Ryan said.

"Exactly... Now let's see what we can dig up," my aunt said.

* * *

Back at the precinct we were all gathered around the investigation board, trying to figure out what took place at that mall. While we were all looking at the board with puzzled faces, aunt Kate's phone buzzed with a message. She looked at it and said, "Lanie said she found some things that might be important."

"Okay, you guys go check it out. Ryan and I will go survey the the footage we retrieved from the malls security cameras," Esposito said.

"All right."

We left the room and went down to see Lanie. There were a few bodies on the slabs down in the morgue and Castle said, "You sure are busy."

"She's my fourth one in two days. But she is my first murder victim though. This guy was just discovered this morning in his house."

"Natural causes?" Aunt Kate asked.

"Yeah... His house was filled with items. A class A hoarder. I'm surprised he could even live in that kind of condition for as long as he did."

"Wow... Isn't that crazy," Castle said.

"Sure is."

"So... What do you have on our murder victim?" Aunt Kate asked.

"Not to much, just some bruising and a note in her back pocket. But other than that, Monica didn't have much else to offer."

"Can I see the note?"

"Mm-hmm," she said as she handed over the note in a plastic bag.

We all looked at the note and it said " _SEVEN_ " in big squiggly handwriting.

"Another seven... What does this mean?" Castle asked.

"I honestly don't know, but it has to have some meaning of importance," my aunt said.

"That's true..."

"I got it," I said.

"Oh no..." my aunt said with a sigh.

"No it's good. Think about it... Seven... Seven deadly sins."

"I honestly don't know who's theory is worse."

"Wait, she might be on to something," Castle said with a smirk.

"That guy died recently inside a house with piles of stuff, Greed. This lady was killed by a man, Wrath," I said explaining my theory.

"How do you even know about the seven deadly sins?" my aunt asked me.

"A short story in school... We had to read it and write an essay on what seven deadly sin we think we have."

Castle put on the goofy grin he wears when he's excited about something and said, "This is awesome."

"Castle, it's not the seven deadly sins. It's just a coincidence."

"But shouldn't we give it a shot though. Look into this old mans past and see if he has a son or something, that may or may not link to our dead girl."

"Okay, fine. We'll look into it," she turned to Lanie and said, "Thanks, if you find anything else, let us know."

"You got it," Lanie said.

* * *

We went back to Aunt Kate's desk, and Esposito and Ryan made their way over to us.

"Find anything?" Aunt Kate asked.

"Not at first," Ryan started, then Esposito picked it up, "But after not finding a good angle inside the mall, we found our suspect entering a vehicle."

"He went right past the the security camera outside and we got a clear license plate number," Ryan finished as he handed over a folder.

"Lucifer Allen... In and out of mental health facilities and spent two years in prison for aggravated assault," my aunt said as she looked over the file.

"Yeah. Says he's living in the Bronx at The Purgatory apartment complex," Ryan said.

"Do you guys not here this?" Castle asked.

"What?" My aunt asked.

"His name is Lucifer... He lives in The Purgatory apartments... The seven deadly sins are real."

"Come on dude... That stuff isn't real. This guy probably watched the movie _Se7en_ way to many times," Esposito said.

"Maybe..."

"Okay... You two check it out and see if you can find him. I'm going to check up on some things," Aunt Kate said.

"You got it boss," Ryan said as he and Esposito left.

* * *

A little while later, Aunt Kate came back with some papers in her hand and said, "So, I did some research on our potential suspect."

"And...?" Castle and I asked with anticipation.

"And... Lucifer is the son of our dead hoarder, Rafael Allen."

"So it is the seven deadly sins," Castle said with excitement.

"No, it means it's just a coincidence... There are still five of the sins missing."

Ryan and Esposito came into the precinct, dragging a man with unruly blond curly hair with them roughly.

"Come on man... Can't I just give my statement at home?" the guy asked, and I noticed he was still wearing his pajamas.

Castle leaned over to aunt Kate and said, "Sloth."

* * *

I was in the observation room with Aunt Kate and Castle, as we watched Esposito and Ryan interrogate the man.

"So Billy, you're Lucifer's roommate?" Esposito asked.

"What? Who are you talking about?" Billy asked.

"You don't know this man?" Ryan asked as he placed a photo in front of him.

"Wait, Luci? His full name is Lucifer?"

"Um... You didn't know?"

"No, He always made me call him Luci. Didn't know, bro."

"Have you noticed anything strange?" Esposito asked.

"Nah... I mean, his father died the other day... So he was pretty hung up on that."

"But nothing else?" Ryan asked.

The guy thought for a second before saying, "Nope... But I mean, I was pretty out of it every time we hung out."

"Do you know this woman?" Esposito asked as he placed another picture down.

"Oh my god... That's Monica Ruiz, she was Luci's ex-girlfriend. What happened?"

"She was murderd Billy... We think it might be your roommate."

"Yo, I swear I had nothing to do with this. I don't even know where he is."

"We understand... But are you sure you have no idea where Lucifer can be?" Ryan asked.

"He could be with his new girlfriend. Her name is Jasmine... Jasmine Smythe."

"Do you know where she lives?" Esposito asked.

"No... I don't get out of the house much."

"All right... Thanks for your help," Ryan said.

* * *

They found Jasmine's address and brought her in for questioning. There was still no sign of Lucifer, and frankly, I don't want to meet him. My aunt Kate and Castle were interogating her and I was watching from the observation room once again.

"Jasmine, where is Lucifer?" my aunt asked.

"I don't know," she said.

"We have reasons to believe he murderd his ex-girlfriend."

"That whore... She got what was coming to her."

"So you know what happened?"

"No..." She said with annoyance, "I just knew she was bound to get her self killed. She cheated on my boyfriend, she cheated on her ex, and she cheated on her new boyfriend."

Castle turned to me and mouthed, "Lust."

I chuckled and watched them interrogate her further.

"So you have no idea where he is?" Castle asked.

"No... I haven't seen him since my party two nights ago."

"All right, thank you Ms. Smythe," my aunt said.

* * *

We were practically at square one, and we were all looking at the investigation board with utmost confusion. We had no clue where Lucifer could be; they checked his job, they checked with local transportation, but no one has seen him. It's like he disappeared into thin air.

"Hey guys... You'll never believe this," Ryan said as he came over with a piece of paper.

"At this point, I think I'll believe anything. So what do you have?" my aunt asked.

"I got in contact with Lucifer's mother, Cecilia, in Conneticut. Turns out, Lucifer wasn't an only child. When he was ten, his dad had an affair with another woman, and has a half brother named Christopher."

"Do You think he'd go after him?"

"His mom said after Christopher was born, he spent more time with him than Lucifer. He even paid for him to go to school and got him into a decent job."

"Which leads to our next sin, Envy. A real life Cain and Able," Castle said.

"Well, hopefully we'll get there before that happens," my aunt said.

* * *

Two hours later, Aunt Kate and the rest of the gang came back with a struggling Lucifer in their hands. They brought him into the interrogation room and I wanted to see how this all ended, so I was in the observation room once again.

"You have two counts pending on you Mr. Allen. First degree Murder of Ms. Ruiz and attempted murder of your brother, Christopher," my aunt Kate said.

"They told me to do it. They told me I needed to rid of these horrible people before they brought me down," Lucifer said.

"Who told you to?" Castle asked.

"The voices in my head. The angels."

"Mr. Allen, what you did today was wrong, no matter how you look at it."

"But I was the better child, I was the better man than anyone. I am the righteous man."

"I'm sorry Lucifer, but you're not even close," my aunt said.

* * *

Turns out, Lucifer wasn't to right in the head, which we pretty much knew since the beginning of this investigation. They decided to send him to a mental health facility so he could get proper treatment before sending him to prison, if they even send him to prison. I have a feeling he'll be in a padded room for a long time.

We were sitting around Uncle Rick's living room and Castle said,"Hey Em, You never said what you did your paper on."

"My seven deadly sins paper?" I asked.

"Yeah."

"I did it on Gluttony. Food is the best."

my aunt chuckled and said, "Really Emily?"

"Um yeah... I've raided the fridge plenty of times in the middle of the night."

"I was always wondering where all my food has gone. I thought it was Alexis or my mother..." Castle said with realization.

"My bad."

"You know, there is still one more sin."

"Yeah, the worst sin of all, Pride. But technically, didn't Licifer have that as well?"

"I guess you could say that... He did favor himself over everyone and put his need to be righteous in the forefront."

"I guess so."

Aunt Kate decided to take the conversation somewhere else and asked, "Why don't we all get dinner, especially after this crazy case?"

"Sounds good to me... How about you, mini Beckett?" Castle asked.

"Come on, you're talking to a person who has gluttony. I want food... Scratch that... I need food," I said as silly as I could.

"All right, you goof. Let's go overindulge in some delicious food," Castle said.

We left the apartment and treated ourselves to a delicious dinner for another awesome case solved.


	58. Chapter 58

AN: I'm back... And that means Em and the gang are too... I wanted to post yesterday, but my writing's a little rusty, so it took me a while to get into the swing of things. Anyway, this chapter is based off of Season 7 episode 10 " _Bad Santa_ ". Thank's to everyone for following, favoriting, and reviewing this story. Here's the next chapter everybody, enjoy. Don't forget to Review. :)

Disclaimer: I do not own Castle or it's characters.

* * *

Santa's a Mobster!?

We were filtering through decorations, getting ready to display them around the house for the upcoming holiday, Christmas. It was exciting to spend another Christmas with my family, and now that aunt Kate and Castle are officially married, it makes it even better than last year.

"All right, ladies of the Castle household, just a reminder that your portion for the holiday poem is due in less than 72 hours," Castle said as he made his way over with a bowl of walnuts.

I internally groaned at the very information I dreaded to hear. I really hated doing poems, and if getting them as an assignment at school wasn't bad enough, now I have to make one at home. Man, this is going to be a hectic 72 hours.

"I just have to do a polish," Alexis said with enthusiasm.

"I can't wait to see it," Castle said, before looking over at Aunt Kate and asking, "How's yours coming along? Are you ready for your big debut in the Castle family Christmas card?"

"Yeah, absolutely," she said with a look of fake eagerness.

"Gonna be the best year ever," Castle said with a grin like the Cheshire Cat.

"Yeah," Alexis said.

He went over to aunt Kate, tapping her shoulder with a face of pure joy while saying, "So excited!"

He walked off to his office and Aunt Kate turned to the other woman with worry on her face and said, "You guys, I completely forgot. He said that it wasn't a big deal, but I think it actually kind of is."

"It's a very big deal. We even get a little competitive," Alexis said.

"I started working on mine in July," Mrs. Rodgers said.

My aunt was speechless, barely able to get a word out as she learned just how important this poem really was.

"Welcome to the family," Alexis said

"Yeah," Mrs. Rodgers said with a laugh.

"So what do I have to do again?" Aunt Kate asked.

"Write six funny, poignant, eloquent lines describing highlights of the past year for you," Alexis explained.

"Oh, yeah."

"And they must rhyme."

"Yeah," Mrs. Rodgers said with a nod.

"What word rhymes with "I'm screwed"?" My aunt said.

Her phone started ringing and she answered, "Beckett."

* * *

We were on our way to the crime scene, which I had to beg relentlessly to go with, and thankfully I was able to make her cave. Castle turned to look at me in the back seat and asked, "So mini Beckett, have you finished your poem yet?"

"Well, about that… I haven't really put anything together," I said sheepishly.

"Seriously!? You haven't even tried to put something together?"

"Sorry uncle Rick, but I'm not really a poetic person."

"It's okay Mini Beckett. You still have time and maybe your aunt can help since she's almost done with hers."

Aunt Kate parked by the crime scene and said awkwardly, "Actually, about that Castle, I haven't really started yet either."

"What!? What's with you Beckett's? I thought you were always on top of things," Castle said with exasperation.

She rolled her eyes at him, before exiting the vehicle and making her way towards the scene. We followed after her and he said, "How comes you haven't finished it yet?"

"It's just that rhyming isn't exactly my thing," she said with a shrug.

"This coming from the woman who skipped prom to crash a poetry slam."

"Spoken word, Castle. That's a totally different jam. I mean, I could write a haiku for you instead."

"No, that's against the rules."

"Since when do you follow rules?"

"Since I'm the one who made them. You should probably get me your first draft by the time we get to the precinct holiday party. You too mini Beckett."

"That's two days away!"

"See? Plenty of time."'

"Ugh..." I groaned while face palming myself.

This poem thing was going to drive me crazy, but maybe I can finish it before the holiday party. Hopefully I can spark up some inspiration in 72 hours, or not…

Esposito came over as we continued to walk to the body and said, "Hey."

"Hey," Castle greeted him.

"So get ready for a murder with a little holiday spirit. It went down around 10:30 p.m. Witnesses saw a black Mustang, no plates, chasing after this guy."

We got up to a Holiday display window, where a dead body was laying peacefully inside, with dried blood on his face.

"This was a drive-by? But he looks like he was shot close range," my aunt questioned.

"Yeah, and the shooter capped him in the head to finish him off," Esposito said.

"So this wasn't random. Did anyone get a good look at the assailant?"

"Yeah, when he drove by like a bat out of hell. Fuzzy red hat, big white beard."

Castle looked up to the sky, his mouth wide in amazement and Aunt Kate asked, "Seriously? Our killer is Santa Claus?"

"Three witnesses, all told the same story."

"Guys, squeezing down countless chimneys? Delivering millions of presents in one night? It was bound to happen. Santa finally cracked," Castle said with seriousness.

"Or our victim was naughty instead of nice," Esposito said with a chuckle.

"That's tasteless."

"Or our killer just wore a Santa suit because that was the perfect disguise at this time of year. So what do we know about the victim?"

Wow, Santa killing someone… Well of course it's not the real Santa, but Santa isn't real anyway… Still though, who would use such a jolly man to be the assailant in a murder. It's just not the Holiday spirit.

"His name's Eric Mercer, lives in Midtown. His hospital ID says he was an ER doctor at Saint Simon's," Esposito said.

"Do we know where he was coming from?"

"Not yet, but he bought a latte at a coffee shop six blocks away from here before our gun-toting Saint Nick came after him. And the barista there said that Mercer was carrying a blue backpack. But witnesses who saw Mercer running said there wasn't any backpack."

"Okay, let's set up a search from here to that coffee shop. That backpack may contain clues as to why he was killed.

Ryan came over and said, "Well, maybe the last person that Mercer talked to can shed some light on that. Ten minutes before he was shot, Eric Mercer called someone at Saint Simon's Hospital."

* * *

We left the crime scene and made our way to the hospital to find out who Eric talked to. On our way there, I decided to spark up a conversation, "So, a murdering Santa. Sounds like a pretty crazy case."

"Yeah it is. But if we arrest him, kids won't be getting there presents this year," Castle said.

"True, but maybe the elves and Mrs. Claus would still bring Christmas cheer."

"I agree; no kids should go without a Christmas."

"Really you two?" my aunt said as she looked at me in the rearview mirror.

"You can't deny it's an interesting concept," I said.

"Well, whoever this, fake Santa, is. I'm sure we'll be able to apprehend him soon, and have a merry Christmas."

Castle and I nodded, and it was quiet the rest of the way to the hospital.

* * *

We made it to the hospital and met up with the doctor who talked to Eric before he died.

"That was me. I just talked to Eric a few hours ago. I'm sorry, this is just such a shock," the older woman said.

"How did he seem when you talked?" Aunt Kate asked.

"A little on edge, I guess. Like he was in a hurry."

"Did he say why?" Castle asked.

"I assume it was his uncle. His uncle has cancer and lives alone. Eric tried to be there for him. He missed work last night, too."

"Do you know his name?" my aunt asked.

"Edward, I think. Edward Mercer. Maybe he knows why this happened to Eric."

* * *

We were back at the precinct, and Aunt Kate walked up to her desk with some papers in hand, "So we looked into Eric's family history, contacts in his phone and computer. He does not have an uncle named Edward Mercer. In fact, he doesn't have an uncle at all."

"Then why did he miss his shift? And where did he go?" Castle asked.

"I may have an answer to that. It turns out that Eric used the Hytch rideshare app to catch a ride to an address in Queens tonight, a couple of hours before he was killed. In fact, he took numerous trips to that same address, which line up with shifts that he missed at the hospital," Ryan said as he handed some papers over to my aunt.

"And what's at this location?" my aunt asked.

"Certainly not Uncle Edward," Castle said.

"Offices. It's an office building owned by Evergreen Sanitation NYC."

"Are you sure about that?" my aunt asked, Ryan nodded and she continued, "Evergreen Sanitation NYC is a known front for organized crime."

"Why would Eric Mercer be visiting a mob-owned building?" Castle asked while looking at Eric's file.

"Let's head to Queens and find out."

* * *

We went to the warehouse, and the place was pretty much dead. There was nothing here, except some paintings and working lights.

"No placards, no names. It's like this whole place is unoccupied," Aunt Kate said as we made our way through the warehouse.

"And yet Eric missed work to come here. Repeatedly," Castle said, looking around the hall we were occupying.

"Yeah."

A man, who looked like a janitor, came out of a room and my aunt said, "Oh, excuse me, sir. NYPD. Could you help… Wait, sir, could you please just help us? We..."

As she went after him, he quickly scurried off, leaving the three of us there alone. Castle looked in the room that the man just came out of and said, "Beckett."

We went inside and the whole room was turned into an operating room; from the bed to the tools that real hospitals use.

"Whoa… This is a surgical suite," Castle said.

"Owned by organized crime," my aunt said.

"Eric Mercer wasn't just a doctor, he was a mob doctor."

* * *

I had to go home after our discovery of Eric Mercer being a mob doctor. I knew I wouldn't be able to argue if I could stay because I was already up late enough, and the case was getting pretty deep, especially if the mob's involved. So, I decided to go home willingly and get a good night's rest.

Now that it's daytime, and I have nothing else to do at the moment, I decided to work on that poem that's due in about 48 hours. I sat at my small desk that I had in my room and stared at the blank piece of paper in front of me. I took a pen in my hand, and placed it steadily on the first blue line.

Two minutes… Five minutes… Ten minutes… A half hour…. I sighed and put my pen back down. There was no way I was going to finish this thing in time. I could barely think of two words let alone six sentences that rhyme and describe my year. I groaned and decided to head to the precinct. Maybe on my walk I'll find some inspiration to put into my poem.

* * *

When I arrived at the precinct, I found my aunt Kate at her desk, working on her computer. I went up to her and said, "Did you find the killer yet?"

"Yep, it was pretty much an open and shut case," she said to me.

"Aww man…. I thought this would be an interesting case."

"Turns out it was a man who worked for Dino Scarpella, a mobster."

"Oh, yeah… I heard of him… Hmm, who would have thought Santa would be a mobster?"

My aunt gave me an annoyed look and said, "Yeah, well he was definitely no Santa… And of course you'd know about the Scarpella's."

I shrugged and said, "Hey, word gets around."

"Yeah, uh-huh…"

Castle came over to us and said, "Hey, I need to talk to you Beckett."

"All right, about what?" My aunt said as she grabbed her coffee mug, leading us to the breakroom.

"I want to re-investigate Eric's case."

"You wanna re-investigate Eric's murder on behalf of your friend, Dino, the mob boss?" my aunt asked while taking a seat in the breakroom.

"Okay, well, when you put it like that, it sounds bad."

"It sounds bad no matter how I put it. Castle, we have the killer."

"Christopher was with Dino at the time."

"According to Dino. Dino is playing you."

"Mobsters get arrested. It's a cost of doing business. Dino knows that. So why go through the trouble of asking me to look into it unless Christopher was innocent?"

"Firstly, he didn't exactly ask you. And secondly, he just wants his number two back."

"Well, there's more to it than that," Castle lifted up his hand showing a bloody cut.

"No way…. omertà? That's deep," I said.

"Yeah… We made the blood oath. It was not my idea, and I did not have a choice."

"So you believe Dino because he gave you a paper cut?" My aunt asked with exasperation.

"Look, if I look into Eric's murder and the trail leads back to Christopher Carlucci, so be it. But if it doesn't, don't you wanna know who the real killer is?"

My aunt looked off to the side, mauling it over, before turning back to him and said, "Fine. But you have to promise that Captain Gates isn't gonna find out that we're poking around an already closed case. And you have to keep me looped in every step of the way."

"I promise. And since Dino gave me an all-access pass with the family, I'm gonna start by talking to Christopher."

Castle gave her a quick kiss on the cheek before leaving the room and she mumbled a small, "Thank you."

"Sweet, Castle's working for the mo…" my sentence got short when my aunt threw a hand over my mouth.

"Don't make me send you home," She said with a humorous glare.

"Hmmph- hmm," I mumbled in her hand while nodding my head.

"I'm serious Em. If one word of this gets to the Captain, we'll all be in serious trouble. Especially Castle," she said as she let me go.

"I know… I wouldn't want to jeopardize your job or Castle's involvement at the precinct."

"Thank you, Em."

"No problem."

* * *

Castle came back from his secret undercover investigation with the mob, and told Aunt Kate about what he's found so far.

"Stolen credit cards, a possible getaway car? It sounds like Eric was about to go on the run," my Aunt said as we made our way to her desk.

"Only the killer got to him first," Castle said.

"Okay, so if Christopher didn't kill him, then who did? "

"Maybe whatever Eric was charging on those cards could give us a lead."

"Unfortunately, the cards are a bust. I ran the numbers. No recent activity," Ryan said as he made his way over to my aunt's desk.

"Did we ever find those cards?" my aunt asked.

"No, not in his hospital locker, or in his apartment, or on his body."

"Hmm, maybe the killer took them."

"Well, I'll have Tory monitor the numbers, see if any activity pops."

"Think I got a lead," Esposito said as he made his way over with a piece of paper.

"So we're really thinking that this killer is not Christopher Carlucci, right?" Ryan asked.

"Yes," Castle said.

"Maybe," my aunt said.

"No. Oh, come on, the guy is guilty. Nobody thought otherwise until Castle over here started moonlighting for the mob," Esposito said.

"I think that might be overstating it a little," Castle said, defending his choices.

"You took a blood oath. You let them turn you into an honorary mobster. What's wrong with you?"

"Come on, man. How many people outside of the mafia ever get to swear Omerta? I think it is an experience of a lifetime," Ryan said with enthusiasm.

"Of course you would."

"But didn't you say you had a lead?" my aunt asked Esposito.

"Yeah. The lab was able to identify the crystals that Lanie found on Eric's sleeves. They're made up of sodium ferrocyanide mixed with sodium chloride, which means…" Castle cut Esposito off and said, "It's road salt. It hasn't snowed in weeks. So why would Eric be literally up to his elbows in salt?"

"I don't know, but there are only four salt depots on the island, and one of 'em happens to be within three blocks of our crime scene."

"The blue backpack," Aunt Kate said.

"We searched for it, we never found it," Ryan said.

"That's because just before Eric died, he hid that bag."

"The salt depot," Castle said.

* * *

I went to the salt depot with Castle and Aunt Kate, and we made our way inside. As we walked through the depot, Castle broke the silence, "Man, the places we go to follow a lead. But if it points to our killer, it's worth it indeed."

Great, he's reminding us of that poem we so happened to put on the back burner.

"If that's you trying to help me with my poem, then it's not working," my aunt said.

Castle chuckled and Aunt Kate spotted a hole in the fence of the depot.

"Right over here. This is where Eric gained access," she said.

"Wait, is that the uh…. Right there," Castle said pointing to a large pile of salt with an item sticking out of it.

Aunt Kate pulled the backpack out and shook off some of the salt.

"The victim's blue backpack. You were right. Eric must've stashed it here before he was killed," Castle said.

"Yeah, but what was he trying to hide that he didn't want anyone to find?"

Aunt Kate pulled out the items that were in the backpack and questioned them skeptically, "Bloody clothes?"

"With bullet holes."

"Dun… Dun… Dun…" I said, pretending I was on the piano.

Castle chuckled, and my aunt just rolled her eyes at my behavior. After we collected the backpack, we headed back to the precinct to figure out where this new evidence takes us.

* * *

We were in the morgue with Lanie and Esposito, and she had the clothes spread out on the exam table.

"Here's what I can tell you. The guy who wore these clothes was about six feet, maybe 180, 200 pounds," Lanie said as she gestured to the clothing.

"What about his injuries?" Aunt Kate asked.

"Two shots to the back. Both bullets exited the front of his body. Based on where he was hit and the amount of blood, he probably didn't survive."

"So did any stiffs come in with those kinds of wounds? Minus his clothes, of course," Esposito said.

"No, I already checked."

"Can you tell when he was shot?" Aunt Kate asked.

"Blood coagulation says it was within the last two days."

"Eric missed work two days ago, and his Hytch app showed that he went to that surgical suite in Queens," Esposito said.

"So then maybe this was one of his mob patients," my aunt said.

Castle walked back into the morgue, after getting off the phone with Dino, and said, "He wasn't. At least, not according to Dino. No recent gunshot wounds in the family, and Eric hadn't treated anyone in the past week."

"Then Eric must've treated someone else, someone not connected to the Carluccis. Could that mean that Eric operated on someone from another family?"

"If he did, and said mobster is dead or missing, then perhaps Detective McBride has heard about it."

"Meantime, I'll run DNA to see if this blood matches anyone in the system," Lanie said.

"Thanks, Lanie," Aunt Kate said.

* * *

We were back on the 4th floor, and Aunt Kate and Castle were speaking with Detective McBride in the meeting room. Thankfully the door was left open, so I was able to listen in on their conversation.

"So I asked around about the other crime families, looked into who might've gone missing or taken a bullet the last few days. I think I got your guy. 6'1", 190 pounds. He'd fit in those clothes," McBride said as he put a file down on the table.

"Luca Tessaro? Of the Tessaro crime family?" Aunt Kate asked.

Whoa, the Tessaro family… That was a big name on the streets when I was young, but they're big rivals to the Carllucci family. Why would Eric help him?

"Yeah, and the family's beating the drums because Luca disappeared three days ago."

"Aren't the Tessaros and the Carluccis rivals?" Castle asked.

"No, more like sworn enemies. Which could be why things went bad for your doctor. You don't cross family lines."

"What do we know about Luca's disappearance?" my aunt asked.

"Well, three nights ago, 911 got reports of shots fired near his neighborhood. Officers responded. They didn't find anything, but Luca hasn't been seen since."

"Thank you, Detective."

"Whatever you need."

I watched him leave, and then went inside the meeting room to listen to Aunt Kate and Castle talk about their new lead.

"Why would Eric treat Luca Tessaro, a member of a rival family?" she asked.

"See, this is the beauty of me being mobbed-up. Temporarily. I can go straight to the source and ask Dino," Castle said.

"Castle, just be careful. If Eric treated a Carlucci enemy, then Dino had motive."

"Dino is not gonna ask me to investigate if it's gonna lead back to his doorstep. I shall return with answers."

They started walking out of the room, so I followed close behind.

"The boys and I will check the area where those shots were fired. Maybe officers missed something."

"And I'll go with Castle," I said as I started walking with him, but my aunt pulled me back.

"I don't think so… The last time you were involved with mob activity, it didn't end so well," she said.

"Aww man… Can I at least go with you?"

"No, you stay here… And don't you have a poem to write?"

"Ugh… fine."

She smirked and said, "I know you'll figure something out. And stay out of trouble."

"Yeah, I will."

I watched her leave with Ryan and Esposito, and let out a sigh. Guess I'll be spending my time finding words that rhyme. This poem project ought to be a crime, but maybe after all this fuss, mine will be sublime. Pfft… Only if making the poem was that easy.

* * *

Aunt Kate came back about an hour later, and called Castle on the phone to inform him on what she found at the scene with Esposito and Ryan. Sadly, I couldn't hear the other end, so I was stuck listening to what aunt Kate was saying, "Yeah, so did I. We found blood evidence at the scene where Luca was shot… It was Luca's blood on a bracelet… CSU pulled a thumbprint off of it that matched a DMV record. For Jane Scarpella. She's Dino's daughter. Look, it's possible that Jane killed Luca, she got Eric to help cover it up, and then she killed him, too. I just I don't know what her motive would be... Good, then let's hear it…."

She let out a sigh and hung up the phone.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"Nothing… Castle had to get off the phone, so he could talk to Dino. He was going to tell me some news he found out about Jane, which could lead us to a possible motive as to why she killed Luca and Eric."

"So as of now she's our suspect?"

"Yep, but we'll see what Castle brings back."

"Sounds like a plan."

* * *

Castle was back at the precinct, and he was filling us in on what he found out from Jane. Turns out, Luca and Jane had a little thing going. Which was actually kind of romantic.

"Lovers from rival families? Oh, that sounds like Romeo and Juliet," Aunt Kate said as she looked at the file for the case.

"Right down to Eric as the apothecary," Castle said.

Esposito came over to us in the hall and said, "Yo. Jane's alibi checks out. Doorman places her at home during Eric's murder."

"What about the street cams in the area around Luca Tessaro's shooting?" Aunt Kate asked.

"We looked. There's no cameras out that way."

"Ugh. Which means we're dead in the water."

"Which means I could be dead in the water. If one of the Tessaros killed Luca and Eric, we need to figure out who it was," Castle said.

"Well, unless you got a bud in that family, too, they're not gonna talk."

Ryan came over with some paperwork in hand and said, "Luckily, a credit card just did the talking. Remember those hot numbers that Eric got from Rita? Well, someone just used one of 'em to order a pizza for delivery."

"It's the killer. He must've got the cards off Eric's body," Castle said.

"Delivery to where?" my aunt asked.

"To a tile import business owned by Luca's cousin, Dante Tessaro. And with Luca out of the way, Dante becomes heir apparent to the Tessaro Family," Ryan said.

"This tile business, what's the address?"

* * *

Once again, I had to stay behind and I was running out of time to write my poem. The Christmas party was literally right around the corner and I had absolutely nothing. I sat at my aunt's desk and desperately grasped for some ideas. I looked around the festive precinct and tried to think about all the things that happened this year.

I picked up my pen and started writing on the blank piece of paper in front of me. It might not be the greatest poem, but hopefully they know it's coming from the heart.

A little while later, Aunt Kate and Castle came back with very interesting news, Luca Tessaro was actually alive. Turns out, Eric actually saved his life after they met up with him at the surgery room. Jane and Luca decided not to come clean because if everyone thought he was dead, they'd be able to leave the mafia life behind and start anew.

We were walking down the hall of the precinct and Aunt Kate said, "The shopkeepers we talked to confirmed Luca's story. This Il Penumbra's been terrorizing them for months."

"How do you track someone who nobody's seen?" Castle questioned.

Esposito and Ryan met us half way, and Esposito said, "Not through that bank info that Luca uncovered. It dead-ended at a private account in the Cayman Islands. And given international banking laws, there's no way to determine who owns that account."

"But maybe there is. I, uh, made a new friend who might help us skirt those pesky international banking laws."

* * *

Castle got some information out of his new "friend" and came back with some useful information. Aunt Kate was on the computer, trying to determine who made the account, ultimately leading to Il Penumbra.

"Rita determined Il Penumbra's Cayman account was opened using a server at the Midtown Library branch," she said as she looked through the information.

"Public terminal," Ryan said.

"Makes sense. Especially since most libraries don't have security cameras," Esposito said.

"But the convenience store across the street from this one does. So we pulled the video feed from the same day that Il Penumbra created the account," Castle said.

"It's time-stamped, so…"

She went through the footage and we found the person who came out of the Library around the time the account was made.

"There. That's the only person who leaves in the minutes after the account was opened. Well, hello, Bad Santa," my aunt said.

* * *

The mobster Santa turned out to be none other than Detective McBride. I thought that guy was kind of fishy, but I honestly wouldn't have pinned him as the murderer. But Ryan and Aunt Kate took care of business, and I think Detective McBride will be behind bars for a very long time, especially since there is a nice chunk of evidence to go on.

So Another case closed, and we saved a decently innocent man from going to jail in a crime he didn't commit. I'd say that things turned out well, and it's going to be a very merry Christmas. And speaking of Christmas, it was time for the holiday party and I had my poem all ready to go.

I found Uncle Rick in the break room, filling small holiday styled paper cups with some eggnog. I went up to him and said, "Hi Uncle Rick."

He smiled at me and said, "Hey, Mini Beckett. Is that your draft?"

"It sure is. Do you want to hear it?"

"Yeah, definitely. Let's hear what you got."

"Okay… _"This year was filled with ups and downs; Yet it still made some leaps and bounds." "I got the perfect family out of it all; And I know they will never let me fall." "Our family might not be ordeal; But somehow we make it real."_ "

"That was really great Emily. I'm so happy to have you be a part of my family and its traditions. And I can't wait to make more memories with you."

I gave him a hug and he placed a kiss on top of my head. When we pulled apart, I said, "Thanks Castle."

"You're welcome Emily."

Three men walked into the breakroom and I figured it was Dino Scarpella and his goons.

I looked at the real mobster in awe and said, "You're Dino Scarpella… You're a legend…"

He gave me a smirk and said, "Cute kid… She yours?"

"Um… She's my niece…" he said to Dino before turning to me, "Em, why don't you go tell that poem to your aunt."

I knew he wanted to be alone with them, so I said, "Okay."

I quickly walked off and went to find my aunt. I found her at her desk and it looked like she was finishing up her own poem.

"Hey, Aunt Kate," I said.

"Oh, Hi Em," she said with a smile.

"Did you finish?"

"Yep, I just put some finishing touches on it. How about you?"

"Uh-huh, and Castle loved it."

"Aww… Let me hear it."

" _"This year was filled with ups and downs; Yet it still made some leaps and bounds." "I got the perfect family out of it all; And I know they will never let me fall._ " _"Our family might not be ordeal; But somehow we make it real."_ "

"That's really great Em. I knew you could do it," she said and ruffled my hair.

I fixed my now messy hair and asked, "Can I hear yours?"

"Yeah… Come on, I'll read it to you and Castle," she said as she pulled me over to where Castle was standing in the hall.

"Castle. Hey! Okay, so I, um, got my draft of the poem for the family Christmas card. Wanna hear it?" my aunt asked with eagerness.

"Yeah," he said.

"Okay… " _This has been an epic year; Life's been full of joy and tears" "Solving crimes and catching killers; Just like Castle's famous thrillers" "We share a passion every day; As partners go, we're here to stay."_ "

"It's great."

"Thank you."

"So cool, Aunt Kate," I said with a smile.

She pulled me into a side hug and held me close. She looked at Castle and noticed he wasn't quite himself, "Is something wrong?"

"What could be wrong? My Beckett's are here," he said with a grin.

"Oh," she said as he pulled her in for a kiss.

"Eww," I said jokingly.

My aunt gave me a playful glare and pushed me slightly. We all chuckled and went over the tree that was getting ready to be lit.

"All right, everybody. Let's light this baby up!" Ryan said as he pressed the button in his hand.

The Christmas tree lit up in multiple pretty colors and the star was a beautiful light blue color. It looked amazing and with all the decorations around and the cool ornaments on the tree, it truly felt like the holidays.

"Merry Christmas! Looks great this year," Ryan said.

Castle gestured over to Lanie and Esposito, so Aunt Kate dragged me along to go hang with them. Christmas music was playing, so Aunt Kate started dancing with Lanie. I chuckled at the two, so my aunt grabbed my hands and made me dance with them. I was having a blast, but I caught a glimpse of Castle who was by the tree, and he looked pretty down.

I wondered what was up with him and hoped it was nothing serious. He said everything was okay earlier, but I have a feeling that was a lie. I guess whatever the issue is, he's going to wait until after the holidays to tell us, so he doesn't ruin the special moments. But whatever it may be, I hope it's not something that's jeopardizing his involvement with the precinct.


	59. Chapter 59

AN: Thank's to everyone for following, favoriting, and reviewing this story. Here's the next chapter everybody, enjoy. Don't forget to Review. :)

Disclaimer: I do not own Castle or it's characters.

* * *

First Kiss

It was a few days after Christmas, and I was going to meet up with Mike at the park. Since we didn't get to see each other recently, we didn't have the chance to give each other our Christmas gifts. I had my present in hand as I went down stairs and went to head out the door. I was about to leave before I heard a voice behind me, "Where you headed Mini Beckett?"

I turned to face Castle who was standing behind me and said, "I'm just going to the park to meet up with Mike."

"Are you giving him a Christmas present?"

"Yeah… We both have presents for each other."

"Aww, that's so cute."

"Uncle Rick…"

"Hey, it's nothing to be embarrassed about. Puppy love is adorable."

"It's not puppy love… And I don't even like Mike like that. He's just my friend."

"Okay, okay. But do you want to bring some mistletoe with you just in case?"

"I'm leaving now."

As I went to head out the door, I heard Castle snicker behind me and say, "Have fun Mini Beckett and be safe."

* * *

As I made my way towards the park, I was actually feeling kind of nervous. I was hoping Mike liked his gift because I didn't know what to get him, at least in my budget range. I settled on a charcoal grey beanie with his name embroidered on it in red. His old one that he wears is starting to get gross and has a bunch of holes in it, so I assumed it was time for an upgrade.

I made it to the park, but Mike wasn't there yet. Little flurries of snow were starting to fall and I was wondering if it was going to get heavier. I leaned against the back of the bench that we agreed to meet at, and continued to look for my friend.

A few minutes later, Mike came up to me with a wide grin plastered on his face. He was still wearing his ratty camo beanie, so I was happy no one else got him a new one for Christmas.

"Hi Emmy, how was Christmas?" Mike asked.

"It was pretty awesome. I got a few cool things that I wanted," I said.

"Yeah, me too. Leon got a new laptop he's been wanting, which is really cool. But he won't let me get near it."

"I guess that's what big brothers do."

"Yeah, and it could be because I was the one who damaged the screen of his old one."

"I guess that is a good reason."

"So… Do you want to exchange presents now?"

"Sure…"

We handed over each other's gifts nervously and started to open them. The gift he gave me was wrapped kind of funny, but once I got the paper off, I noticed why. Inside the wrapping paper was a pretty, dark blue, velvet case. I opened it up and found a beautiful silver bracelet in it and on the bracelet it had " _Mike + Emily 2008_ ".

"Wow Mike… This is amazing," I said smiling at him.

He chuckled nervously and said, "It was nothing… I had a little extra cash and I thought it be cool to document our friendship… You know… I thought it'd be neat."

"I really like it Mike."

"I'm glad you do."

"Open yours."

"Okay," he said as he continued to open the box in his hands.

He opened it all the way and smiled brightly as he took out the new beanie.

"How'd you know I needed a new one," he chuckled.

"Well looking at the one on your head right now, you definitely needed a new one."

"Thanks, Emmy. I love it and my name is in my favorite color."

"Yeah, when I saw it was in red, I had to get it."

"I'm going to put it on."

"Cool, I'll put the bracelet on too."

We put each other's gifts on and we looked pretty good in them, if I do say so myself. It got pretty awkward because we didn't know what to say, so we just stood there looking at each other. Mike leaned into me and I got extremely nervous. Was he actually going to kiss me? Am I ready to kiss someone? Do I even like him like that?

He leaned in further and I decided to kiss him back. As we both leaned into each other, we banged our foreheads together and we both let out an "Ow."

I laughed at the situation and Mike started to turn bright pink.

"I'm sorry Emmy…. I didn't mean too… Maybe I was just… Maybe we should…" Mike kept babbling uncontrollably, so I decided to give him a real kiss to shut him up.

It was kind of weird, but it made me kind of happy. There were butterflies fluttering in my stomach and I didn't even know I actually liked Mike more than just a friend. We pulled apart and Mike was grinning like a fool. I smiled back at him and said, "That was… It was interesting."

"Yeah, it was. Um… You liked it right, or did I just ruin our friendship?" Mike asked nervously.

"I did like it, and more than I thought I would."

"So, do you maybe… Um… Want to be my girlfriend?"

"Yes, I'd like that Mike."

"Really!?"

"Yes."

Mike jumped up with his arms in the air, and his hands balled into tight fists. I chuckled at his boyish antics and he said, "Don't laugh… I'm just happy you feel the same way."

"I didn't think I would, but after kissing you and thinking about it, I actually do like you," I said with a small smile.

"Sweet! And Leon didn't think I'd have the guts to ask you out… And he also thought you'd say no."

"Don't listen to him… He's an annoying teenager and your older brother, so he's always going to torment you."

"Yeah, I know. One day I'll be as big as him and beat him at his own game."

"Uh-huh sure, let's go with that."

"Hey, Emmy?"

"Yeah, Mike."

"Can I kiss you again?"

"Sure, why not."

Mike gave me a quick peck on the lips and pulled away. It was silent between us for a while until I decided to break it, "I should probably get going… It's getting a bit cold out."

"Yeah, I should head home too. My mom wanted to take Leon and I out to visit our uncle in Long Island," Mike said.

"Okay, I'll see you later Mike."

"See you later, babe," he said with a cheesy wink.

"I may be your girlfriend, but don't call me babe."

"All right… Fine. Bye, Emmy."

"Bye, Mike."

* * *

I skipped home from the park and thought about my first kiss and my first boyfriend. I never thought I'd actually have this… Well, at least not until I was sixteen or something. Whenever I saw the other boys and girls "dating" at school, I thought they were weird, but now that I'm one of them, I guess it's not so bad.

When I got home, I was greeted by my aunt and uncle who were making some lunch in the kitchen. Uncle Rick smiled brightly and said, "Hey, Mini Beckett. Did you give Mike his present?"

"Yes, I did," I said as I sat at the kitchen island.

"Did he like it?" my Aunt Kate asked.

"Yep, now he has a new beanie and doesn't have to wear his old tattered one."

"Aww…"

"You can say that again," Castle said as he pointed at the bracelet on my hand.

"He got you a bracelet?" My aunt asked as she picked my right arm up, trying to get a better look.

"He did. He even had it engraved with our names on it and the year we met."

"That's so adorable. How I love puppy love," Castle said with a grin.

"It's not puppy love."

"Don't listen to Castle. It's very sweet though," my aunt said.

"Yes, it is."

"What else happened?" Castle asked.

"What do you mean?"

"I think there's more to the story."

"No… We just hung out and had a pleasant conversation. Then it got cold, so we parted ways."

My aunt and uncle looked at each other before turning back to me with a suspicious look on their faces.

"What?" I asked, hoping they'd drop it.

"Spill it Em. What else happened at the park?" My aunt asked.

"We may have… Um… We kissed."

"What!?" they asked in unison.

"He kissed me… Well he tried to kiss me and we wound up bumping our foreheads together."

Castle chuckled and said, "Ah, first kiss fiascos. I remember mine well."

"So do I," my aunt said.

"So you didn't kiss, Mini Beckett?"

"He started babbling because of the awkward moment, so I stopped his rambling by kissing him."

"Aww… And that was your first kiss?"

I nodded my head and my aunt said, "I'm happy for you, Em. But no more kissing until your eighteen."

"Ugh… Aunt Kate. Why not? He's my boyfriend."

"Whoa… Moving fast nowadays," Castle said with shock.

"Em, you're not dating Mike. I know you two are best friends and like each other, but you're not old enough for a relationship yet," Aunt Kate said sternly.

"Aww man…" I groaned.

"Hey, what's going on?" Alexis asked as she walked in.

"Emily got her first kiss today and boyfriend," Castle said with a chuckle.

Alexis patted my back and said, "Aww… That's so cute. Is it Mike?"

"Yeah…" I mumbled.

"I thought you two would wind up together."

"I guess everyone did."

"You two are like peas in a pod. You're always hanging out together and spending time at school. It was bound to happen," Castle said matter-of-factly.

"I'm going to my room," I said as I headed for the stairs.

"Come on Mini Beckett, we were just having some fun with you," Castle said.

"How about lunch?" My aunt asked.

"I'm not hungry…" I mumbled as I continued up the stairs.

I heard everyone chuckle and I went to my room. Today turned out to be a pretty great day, and I may not be able to have a real boyfriend yet, but whatever my aunt doesn't know, won't hurt her.


	60. Chapter 60

AN: Thank's to everyone for following, favoriting, and reviewing this story. Here's the next chapter everybody, enjoy. Don't forget to Review. :)

Disclaimer: I do not own Castle or it's characters.

* * *

Pocono's Vacation

Aunt Kate, Castle, Alexis, and I decided to head out to the Pocono's for a nice four-day weekend before school started up again. It was also a trip for Castle, so he could take his mind off of not being able to help with cases anymore. It sure was some surprising news after Christmas, but Castle said that it'll give him more time to write and find some hobbies. But lately he's just been moping around the house, especially when Aunt Kate gets a case.

Since there hasn't been much to do, Castle purposed that we go on a family vacation. Mrs. Rodgers decided to pass up the vacation, so she could work on her new play, and that's why it's only the four of us. It was sure exciting to go to the Pocono's again, I just hope Castle doesn't bust his knee cap like the last time we went, but it did turn out to be an awesome birthday for him.

We pulled up to the cabin that Castle rented out for the four-day weekend, and it looked really cozy and rustic. It was pretty big too, and the way the snow covered the roof and around the yard made it look fit for a holiday postcard. We all got out of the car and gathered our belongings before heading inside to check out the rest of the cabin. We walked inside and Aunt Kate said, "Wow, this is a really nice cabin Castle."

"Yeah, dad. It's different than the other one you usually rent," Alexis said as she looked around.

"Yeah, and the price was pretty steep too. But this was the only cabin they had left at the last minute, so why not splurge a little bit," Castle said with a shrug.

"Thanks Uncle Rick, this is really awesome," I said as I looked at large staircase leading to the second floor.

"No problem mini Beckett. I think this little getaway will be good for all of us."

"Come on Emily, let's go check out the rooms," Alexis said while heading upstairs.

"Okay," I said as I followed behind her with my bags.

We got upstairs and there were five rooms spaced out around the second level, and there was also a nice sized bathroom. There was a large master bedroom that I knew Aunt Kate and Castle would take, and the rest were mid-sized rooms that came with a couple of dressers and a nice queen sized bed.

"Hey Emily, I think I'm going to take this bedroom," Alexis said by the bedroom near the stairs.

"Okay, I think I'll take the one at the end of the hall," I said.

She chuckled at me and asked, "Are you sure you want to be in the room all the way down there?"

"It's a neat room and it has a cool window overlooking the mountains."

"Well okay, but if you get lonely you know where I am."

"All right, thanks Alexis."

"No problem, see you in a bit."

She went into her room to unpack her stuff, so I went and did the same. As I put my clothes and items away, I watched the small flakes of snow trickle past my window and couldn't wait to go out on the slopes tomorrow. I must have been so entranced with the view in the window, I didn't hear my aunt come into the room. I felt someone stroke my hair, and I jumped slightly at the sudden touch.

"It's just me Em," my aunt chuckled softly.

"Sorry Aunt Kate, I didn't hear you come in," I said, smiling awkwardly at her.

"It's okay. So, what are you looking at?"

I shrugged my shoulders and said, "Nothing in particular, just watching the snow and thinking about things."

"Anything important on your mind?"

"No not really, just normal kid thoughts."

My aunt giggled and said, "Okay, that's good."

"Why'd you come and find me?"

"Right, we made some dinner. I just came to see if you were ready to eat."

"Yeah, I'm starving."

"All right, come on and let's eat."

* * *

We were all sitting around the dining table, eating and talking with one another, while we ate the food Castle and my Aunt Kate cooked up.

"So, we have two days to enjoy ourselves. What do you guys want to do?" Castle asked.

"I'm going snowboarding tomorrow and maybe some snow-tubing," I said.

"Sounds like fun. How about you Kate?"

"I have a spa appointment at noon, and then I was planning on skiing a bit," my aunt said.

"Huh, okay… Alexis?"

"I was going to hang out with Justin, maybe hit a few slopes and go to the movie showing at the main lodge," Alexis said with a shrug.

"Justin… Who is Justin?"

"It's fine dad… We know each other from school and we ran into each other when you were getting the keys to the cabin. We thought we'd hang out and catch up since high school."

"Oh, okay."

"What are you going to do uncle Rick?" I asked.

"Well, I'm not sure, since all of you already made some plans."

"You can hang out with me on the slopes. Just try not to break your knee cap again."

Castle glared at me and said, "That was a total fluke. I could have nailed it."

"Uh-huh, sure."

"Well, I guess it'll just be mini Beckett and me tomorrow."

"There's still another day after tomorrow dad. We can all do something then," Alexis said.

"Alexis is right, I think tomorrow is just a day for ourselves, and then Sunday can be a family day," my aunt said.

"All right, fine… Sunday we can have a family day," Castle mumbled.

We chuckled at him and finished the rest of dinner with light conversation.

* * *

The next day came around; Castle and I were on top of one of the many slopes at our resort. Castle was on his ski's and I was on my snowboard, getting ready to go down the mountain for the second time that day.

"Isn't this fun?" I asked Castle with a wide smile.

"It is pretty fun. Too bad Alexis and your aunt Kate couldn't come with us," Castle said.

"Yeah, but at least we get to spend some time together."

"Yes, I like when I get to spend time with you Mini Beckett. It reminds me of the times I spent with Alexis snowboarding and skiing."

"See, you're having a great time. Plus, Aunt Kate said she might join us after her spa treatment and we're having our family day tomorrow."

"Mm-hmm… I guess you're right," Castle gave me his goofy grin when he's excited and said, "I'll race you down the mountain mini Beckett."

"You're so on Uncle Rick… Just don't hurt yourself," I giggled.

"I won't because I'm going to beat you."

"Sure, we'll see about that."

"Oh, we will."

We got ourselves ready on top of the slope and I waited for Castle to give the signal to go.

"Ready?" Castle asked.

"Ready," I said as I put on my goggles.

"And…. Go…" Castle said.

We both took off down the mountain, breaking off and going around some of the trees and rocks littering the slope. I went over a few small humps on my side as I continued to make my way down. I kept making sure I knew where Castle was located, so he didn't pass me as we went down the rest of the mountain. There were only a few feet left to go, and Castle was just a few seconds behind me. I pushed myself to go just a slight bit faster, so I knew I could guarantee my win and of course bragging rights.

We reached the bottom of the mountain and I threw my arms up in victory as I came to a stop. Castle stopped himself and waddled over to me, "I had a few bumps on my side and a few more rocks… I could have made it otherwise."

"Uh-huh, sure Uncle Rick," I said to him with a smirk.

"It's true, your side looked a lot smoother than mine."

"Are you sure it's not your age?"

"Ooh, mini Beckett hits low today."

"I'm just messing with you Uncle Rick. I think you could have beat me."

"Why thank you Emily."

"You're welcome."

Just before Castle could get out his next words, a piercing scream came from the woods by the slope. We both looked that way and I asked, "Should we go investigate?"

"Yeah…" Castle said matter-of-factly.

We took our feet out of the bindings and walked over towards the woods where the scream came from. As we made our way further into the woods, I got a little nervous about what we'd come across. It could probably be nothing and just a simple mistake, but it's usually always something, especially with us. We made it to the location and what we found wasn't a pretty sight.

There was a guy face down in the snow and his back was scratched really badly and blood was quickly dying the snow around him red. Castle turned the man over carefully and found more deep scratches littering his body.

"What do you think did this to him?" I asked as I looked over the dead man.

"A bear?" Castle said questioning himself.

"I don't think a bear did that, and aren't they hibernating?"

"Yeah, they should be… But I honestly don't know what else could have done this to him."

"Me either, but I'm sure we're going to find out."

* * *

The local sheriff department showed up, along with the owner of the lodge after we contacted him about the heinous incident. As we were telling everyone what we found and heard, Aunt Kate was making her way over to us.

"I got your message, what happened?" she asked.

"We heard a man scream, and we found his body in the woods. We think it might be a bear," Castle said.

"Of course you two would stumble across a body while we're on vacation in the Pocono's."

"We have interesting luck," I said with a shrug.

"You sure do… So, are we sure it's a bear?"

"Actually Detective Beckett, we're not quite sure what did this," a sheriff said as he made his way over.

"How'd you know I was a detective?" my aunt asked the man.

"I may have mentioned I was with the best detective from NYC," Castle said with a smug smile.

"I wouldn't go that far and I don't have jurisdiction here. Besides we're on vacation, not solving a murder, if this is even a murder."

"Come on Beckett, since when have we cared about jurisdiction. Like that time in the Hamptons or California."

"Yeah, and we almost got into a lot of trouble for sneaking around without permission."

"But it all worked out in the end, and we helped solve each murder."

"Actually Mr. Castle, I think we can handle this. It might just be a random bear attack in the dead of winter, it's rare, but it could happen," the sheriff chimed in.

"See, they have it under control. Now let's spend the rest of our vacation without any other incidences."

"But…"

"Castle…"

"Okay, I'll let them handle it and spend my vacation with you guys."

"Thank you."

* * *

We made it back to our cabin and decided to have a nice warm lunch. As we ate our lunch at the table, Castle spoke up, "What would you guys like to do tomorrow?"

"I don't know, Castle. Do you have anything in mind?" my aunt asked.

"Well, we could go down a few slopes, maybe have a nice sleigh ride, and ice skate a bit," Castle said with a shrug.

"That sounds good. How does that sound to you Em?"

"Sounds like fun," I said.

Aunt Kate's phone started to buzz and she said, "It's probably the precinct. I'll be right back."

She gave Castle a peck on his cheek before leaving the room to take her phone call. I looked over at Castle and said, "I know you're still wondering about the case."

Castle raised a brow and said, "What? I'm not. I don't care about the case."

"Come on Castle… I know you, you want to know how the story ends."

"Ugh… Yeah, I do. But how are we supposed to investigate without your Aunt Kate finding out?'

"It's not the first time we tried to sneak around her. I'm sure we can think of something."

"True…"

We both sat there, trying to think of a way to go out and investigate this strange case without Aunt Kate getting suspicious.

"Hey, I got it," I said.

"Got what?" my aunt asked as she walked into the room.

"Well… It was going to be a surprise, but I was thinking maybe Castle and I could make a fancy dinner. Go down to the shop a couple of miles from here and get some supplies."

"Yeah, I thought that would be really cool," Castle said, trying to go along with my lie.

"Uh-huh, and it has nothing to do with you two snooping into the case," my aunt said with her serious face.

"Nope," we said.

She gave us both a hard stare and sighed, "Fine, but if I hear anything about you two putting your noses where they don't belong, you're both in serious trouble."

Castle chuckled and said, "You can trust us Kate. We'll be back before you know it."

"That's not suspicious."

"It's okay Aunt Kate. I'll keep him out of trouble," I said.

"That's even more suspicious."

Castle went over to Aunt Kate and gave her a peck on the lips, "Trust us. We'll be back soon."

"Bye, Aunt Kate," I said as Castle dragged me out the door.

* * *

Castle and I were in the woods around the area we found the body, and there were still remnants of blood and police tape, but all in all, it was pretty much cleared away.

"So Castle, how are we going to explain what took so long at the grocery store?" I asked as we made our way through the woods.

"Easy, we just say that it was crowded," Castle said as if it was as simple as that.

"You know Aunt Kate isn't going to buy that. She'll see right through us."

"How? Grocery stores get crowded."

"Yeah, but if we're out here for two hours and it takes us however long at the grocery store after, she's not going to buy it. Plus, we're in the middle of nowhere and most vacationers at the resort eat at the main lodge's restaurant. So, I doubt there will be many people at the store."

"Well, we'll figure it out when we get there. But for now, let's try to find some evidence of what happened in these woods."

"You know; I have a feeling we won't find anything."

"Hey, no backing out now. I'm sure that this wasn't a bear attack."

"What else could it be. There's not too many things that could leave scratches like that."

"You have a point, but maybe it's someone with Freddy Krueger's knife glove."

"Yeah, sure… And that's the best theory you can come up with."

"What do you have mini Beckett?'

"Well, I don't really have one yet."

"Ha, so your best guess is as good as mine."

"Okay, so we really… don't… have…" I started to say before I saw something intriguing in front of me.

"Why'd you stop mini…" Castle looked at the spot I was standing near and said, "Whoa…"

"I think I have a theory now…"

"A yeti," we said together.

* * *

Castle took a picture of the large foot print before we headed to the grocery store, and headed back to the cabin to show Aunt Kate our new information. When we got into the cabin, we found Aunt Kate and Alexis casually chatting in the den. We went over to them and Aunt Kate asked, "Just the grocery store, huh?"

"You're so busted," Alexis chuckled.

"Okay, so we didn't go straight to the store like we said, but we found evidence," Castle said with enthusiasm.

"Yeah, and it's awesome," I said.

"Castle, Emily, what did I tell you about sticking your noses into a case that is not ours? You're lucky you weren't caught," she said with anger.

"Yeah, I know, but check this out," Castle said as he brought up the photo on his phone, showing it to Aunt Kate and Alexis.

"What is it?" my aunt asked with a raised brow.

"A foot print and not just any foot print, a yeti's footprint."

"Also known as the Abominable Snowman," I said.

Alexis and Aunt Kate both started laughing and Aunt Kate said, "Do you two seriously believe that there's a yeti here and killing people?"

"How long have you known us? When would we ever joke about our theories," Castle said with irritation.

"Come on dad, there's no such thing as a yeti," Alexis said.

"Alexis is right. That footprint must have a reasonable explanation, but it's not a yeti. And let the sheriffs handle it, this isn't our case," my aunt said.

"But don't you want to know who the killer is?" Castle asked.

"According to the phone call a little while ago, it was just a random bear attack. There is no yeti or murder. So let's just enjoy the rest of our vacation."

"Beckett's right, we came up here to relax and get away from solving crimes. So let's just have some dinner and talk about tomorrow," Alexis said.

Castle and I sighed with a nod of our head. We knew we weren't going to persuade them about our findings, so it was best to go along and not make it worse for ourselves.

* * *

I felt someone shaking me and calling out my name as I laid in bed. I groaned and dug my face into my pillow. The person shook me once again and whispered my name louder. I looked up at the person and found Castle standing over me with an anxious face.

"What time is it?" I asked.

"Almost five," he said.

"In the morning!" I said loudly.

Castle put his hand over my mouth and said, "Shh… Don't wake your aunt or Alexis."

He removed his hand and I said, "Why are you waking me up this early?"

"I need my mini Beckett to help me with the case."

"If we continue working this case, Aunt Kate will kill us."

"She's not going to find out because we'll be back before anyone gets up."

I sighed and said, "Fine, I'll help."

"Great! I'll see you downstairs," Castle whispered yelled before heading out of my room.

I flopped into my bed and rolled my eyes. What am I getting myself into?

* * *

Castle and I were trudging through the snow and making our way towards the lodge.

"Why are we going to the lodge?" I asked.

"We're going to break in and see if my theory is correct?" Castle said.

"Wait! We're breaking in!?"

"Um… Yeah…"

"I think I'm going to head back."

"Come on, mini Beckett. Since when have you've done what you're told?"

"Well, okay… So, I haven't been the greatest, but I don't need another strike with Aunt Kate."

"Help me out mini Beckett. I promise if we get caught, I'll put it all on me."

"All right, fine. Plus, I could break in faster than you can."

Castle smiled and pulled me towards him, "I knew I could count on you. Now let's get this over with."

"Okay, but what theory are you trying to prove?"

"I found out that this resort has a group tour of the mountains."

"And…?"

"And one of the tours is the Myth of the Yeti, which takes place every week."

"And if they have a tour about it, why not have something memorable at the end for the audience, like a real yeti."

"Exactly, so if my theory is correct, there will be a yeti costume in the lodge."

"Okay, but where are we going to find it. There has to be several different locations in the main lodge. I'm sure they don't keep it hanging in the locker room."

"Eh… I haven't really thought that far ahead, but I'm sure we'll be able to find it."

"How much time do we have?'

"The main lodge doesn't open until 7:30 am, so about an hour and half give or take."

"Let's do this," I said with a smile.

Castle smiled back and we continued to make our way to the main lodge.

* * *

When we got there, all the lights were out and it didn't seem like there was any guards on duty. Castle kept watch as I picked the lock to the front office of the lodge. It was tricky, but I managed to get it open in a grueling couple of minutes. We both made our way inside and I said, "Do you see any trip wires?"

"I'm sure they don't have any trip wires in here, but I do know they have a few security cameras, so look out for them."

"Okay, got it."

We made our way through the office and looked around. Castle shined his flashlight in the direction of a couple of doors and said, "Why don't we check the locker room first?"

"Okay, but I don't think we'll find it in there," I said.

"Possibly, but let's check."

I nodded and quickly got the door unlocked. Castle flipped the light on when we got in and I said, "Should you really turn on the light?'

"It'll make it easier to see and we can go quicker with the light."

"Fine, let's do this quickly."

"I'm right ahead of you," Castle said as he opened the first locker.

"I guess they're not used to break-ins. Most places would have locks on their lockers."

"Very true, but it makes this even easier for us."

"Yeah, definitely."

We continued opening the lockers and still didn't find anything linking to a possible yeti.

"Last locker Castle… I don't think we're going to find our yeti costume," I said with a sigh.

He sighed too and said, "Maybe this'll be our lucky locker."

"Maybe…"

Castle opened the locker and we found pieces of white fiber that resembled fur on the bottom of the locker. Castle picked a few strands up and said, "I think we found our yeti."

"Yeah, but we're still at square one. We don't know who the locker belongs to and all we have is some pieces of fiber that resemble the yeti's fur, not the whole costume."

"Well, yeah… but it's some kind of evidence, and maybe Kate will believe us now."

We heard someone clear their throat and we turned around to see a security guard staring at us with his arms crossed in front of his chest.

"Of course we're busted…" I mumbled.

"Eh…" Castle sighed out.

* * *

Castle and I were sitting in the lounge of the lodge and Aunt Kate came storming over with fire in her hazel eyes.

"Wait, before you get angry, let me explain," Castle said while standing up.

"Please do Castle… I want to know why my niece and husband were breaking and entering into the lodge early in the morning."

"Okay, I had a theory and I think I'm right."

"Seriously Castle, another theory."

"It's actually a good theory Aunt Kate, and we found evidence," I said.

"What did you two find?"

Castle showed her the fibers and said, "They're from a yeti costume."

"Castle, it could just be someone's hair," she said with a sigh.

"Hair that looks and feels like fur, I don't think so."

"Mr. Castle," the owner said as he walked over.

"Look Pete, I'm sorry, but I think I know who might have killed the man in the woods."

"Okay, I'll listen."

"Thank you. You have a Yeti tour right?"

"Well, yes, but we have no yeti's Mr. Castle. They aren't real."

"Yes, I know that, but do you have someone who plays a yeti?"

Pete thought hard before answering the question and said, "We do. At the end of our tour we have an employee sneak around some trees and make people think there's a yeti."

"Are the claws sharp?"

"Honestly I don't know. I haven't really paid attention to it."

"Do you know who wears the yeti costume?" my aunt asked.

"Our main yeti is Justin, but we also have a backup in case he can't do it and he's on leave for a family emergency."

"Wait, did you say Justin?" Castle asked.

"Yes, why?"

"That's Alexis's friend from school."

"We don't know if he did it though. The locker room is open to tons of employees and none of the lockers are locked. Anyone could have grabbed the costume," I said.

"Yes, but Alexis could be in danger."

"Okay, you two go find Alexis, and I'll see if I can find any more information," my aunt said.

"So you believe us now?" Castle asked with a questionable face.

"Yeah, it seems like you two were right. Now go find Alexis and let's finish this case."

* * *

Castle and I went back to our cabin as fast as we could and when we got there, we found a note on the table by the door.

"What does it say?" I asked him as he read over it.

"She went out with Justin," he said.

"Did she say where?"

"Um… Here, the slopes… they went to the slopes."

"But we don't know which one. There are at least six in this general area."

"Come on, I'll call your aunt Kate and see if she can find out if Justin has a favorite slope to hang out on."

* * *

Castle was on the phone with Aunt Kate as we made our way onto one of the many ski lifts on the mountains and I listened in, "Are you sure it's Devil's Nightmare? That sounds pretty intense, I'm sure Alexis wouldn't go on that… No… Okay… I'll keep in touch."

Castle hung up and I said, "Devil's Nightmare, that's the hardest slope here."

"Yeah, I know. They say Justin goes there a lot."

"Eh, I hope we're right about this."

"Believe me, so do I."

* * *

We reached Devil's Nightmare and found Alexis and a few others hanging out at the top of the mountain. Castle and I walked over to the group and Castle called out to his daughter.

"Dad!? What are you doing here?" Alexis asked.

"Justin is the killer," Castle said.

"What?"

"Hey, I didn't kill anyone," Justin said.

"We know you wear the yeti costume for the tour and it's missing."

"I'm not the only one who has access to that costume. Matt my backup and all of the other employees at the lodge, including the janitors, could reach it."

"But if you didn't do it, then we're back too square one. We have no other suspects."

Castle's phone started to ring and he answered it, "Hello… No it's not him… Wait, I can barely hear you… Keith… Keith Myers… What… I don't… Kate… Kate…"

"Dad what's wrong?" Alexis asked.

"I have no signal, and I could barely make out what Beckett was saying."

"Did I hear you mention Keith Myers?" Justin asked.

"Yeah, but I couldn't hear the rest of it, why?"

"Keith worked the yeti tour with Matt and I before he was fired."

"Why was he fired?"

"He started getting a little too convincing as the yeti and started to get more aggressive with the guests. We also think he was drinking on the job."

"Why would he kill a random man in the woods?" I asked.

"Maybe it wasn't a random guy in the woods," Castle addressed me before asking Justin another question, "Did anybody tell on Keith before he was fired?"

"Um, yeah… A few of us got together and told Pete what we saw," Justin said.

"Who was everyone?"

"Matt, the Janitor George, and I all complained about him together."

"Do you think the guy in the woods was George?" I asked Castle.

"More than likely," Castle said.

"What about Matt, he's not here?" Justin asked.

"I don't know, maybe he should consider his family emergency a blessing for not being here."

Castle's phone rang again and he answered it, "Kate I know who the killer is… Yeah… What, Matt was found dead… Wait, your breaking up again… You can't track Keith down…"

"Dad!" Alexis yelled pointing behind us.

A tall man in a yeti costume came trudging out of the woods and let out a large growl.

"Kate! We found him… Kate?" Castle asked.

"Did you lose signal again?" I asked.

"Yeah."

"You guy's run, I'll distract him. This is my fight anyway," Justin said.

"No Justin, you can't," Alexis said.

"I'll be fine."

Justin grabbed a ski pole and went over towards the man in the yeti costume.

"You brought this upon yourself Keith! I'm not afraid of you," Justin yelled before swinging the ski pole at Keith.

Keith grabbed the ski pole and ripped it away from Justin's hands, making him stumble slightly. Keith grabbed Justin by the front of his shirt and lifted him up, so he could be at eye level. I grabbed one of the other ski poles before running over to Keith and jabbing the point into his thigh. Justin fell to the ground when Keith let go of him and Keith grabbed his injured leg.

"Ahh… My leg," Keith yelled as he tried to yank the pole out.

I helped Justin to his feet and we quickly ran over to Alexis and Castle.

"Justin, are you okay?" Alexis asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Justin said with a small smile.

"Mini Beckett, what were you thinking?" Castle asked with seriousness.

I motioned towards the downed yeti and said, "Well it worked didn't it?"

"What are we going to do?" Justin asked as he looked at Keith.

"No need to do anything," Castle said as he pointed to the ski lift.

The owner Pete, Aunt Kate, and several sheriffs were coming towards the mountain top on the ski lift. Each set got of their respective seat and made their way over to the scene. Aunt Kate came over to us and said, "What happened here?"

"Justin went to take on Keith, but it wasn't working out," Castle started.

"So with some quick thinking, Emily grabbed another ski pole and jabbed it into Keith's leg," Alexis said.

"What am I going to do with you Em?" My aunt chuckled.

I shrugged and said, "You can reserve me a spot at the precinct."

"Yeah, we'll see."

* * *

Eventually everything was taken care of and Keith was brought down to the local station for booking. We went back to the cabin and hung out in the living room together.

"This turned out to be an eventful vacation," Alexis said.

"Yeah, it seems like our vacations always have a unique ending to them," Castle said with a chuckle.

"Yes, we can't seem to get away from solving crimes. It tends to follow us wherever we go," Aunt Kate said with a small smile.

"Yeah."

"You know, we still have a little time to have a family day," I said with a smile.

"You're right mini Beckett, what should we do?" Castle asked me.

"Maybe skate a bit, then go for a sleigh ride, before ending the day with some hot chocolate."

"I like the way you think. How about you two, are you up for it?"

"Yeah, sounds like fun," Alexis said with a smile.

"I think that would be nice," Aunt Kate said.

"All right, let's go have some fun," Castle said while clapping his hands together.

We left the cabin and spent the rest of our vacation hanging out as a family like we planned on doing since we got here. I had a great time and even though we had to deal with another murder, I'm pretty sure we all enjoyed the vacation anyway.


	61. Chapter 61

AN: This chapter is based off of Season 7 episode 11 "Castle, P.I.". Thank's to everyone for following, favoriting, and reviewing this story. Here's the next chapter everybody, enjoy. Don't forget to Review. :)

Disclaimer: I do not own Castle or it's characters.

* * *

P.I.: Pesky Imp

"Richard, you're dressed," I heard Mrs. Rodgers say as I made my way towards the stairs, so I can go downstairs for breakfast.

"Well, it is morning, isn't it?" I heard Castle say.

"Well, it's just that ever since you were banned from working cases with Katherine, you and your pajamas have seen an awful lot of each other."

"She's right. It's good to see you dressed," I giggled as I made my way over to the kitchen island.

Castle glared at me before saying, "Well, I think you guys are exaggerating. I admit, I've taken the occasional day off to recharge, but hardly think it's fair…"

"Wow. Castle, you're dressed?" My aunt said as she walked into the room.

"Yes, I'm dressed! I did not think it would be such an event."

My aunt gave Mrs. Rodgers a kiss on the cheek saying, "Hey."

"Morning, babe," Mrs. Rodgers said back.

Aunt Kate put a gentle hand on my shoulder, putting her items down on the isle in front of us, and asked Castle, "Does this mean you have something special planned for today?"

"As a matter of fact, I do have something special lined up. A surprise, actually, for you," he said with a small smile.

"Really? What kind of a surprise?"

"Well, now if I told you that it wouldn't be a surprise. But trust me, you're gonna love it."

"Okay, now, why does that scare me?"

"Because you're smart," Mrs. Rodgers said.

"Hmm. Come on, Castle. Spill."

"Master interrogator like yourself, and that's the best you've got?" he asked with a smirk.

"Maybe I'm just getting started."

Aunt Kates cellphone started to ring and Castle said, "Or not."

"Beckett," she said as she answered her phone.

She spoke briefly on the phone, before hanging up and saying, "I have to go. We have a case."

"As in us?" Castle questioned with a smile.

She smiled gently and said, "No, as in me and my team. I know you want to come, but you can't Castle. I'll see you all later."

We all said our goodbyes as Aunt Kate left to go to her crime scene, and Castle continued to make some eggs for breakfast.

"I'd hate to miss all the shenanigans you'll be getting into, but I must be off. I have some business to attend to," Mrs. Rodgers said.

"What kind of business mother?" Castle asked intrigued.

"Nothing of your concern, Richard. I'll see you two later."

"Bye, mother."

"Goodbye, darling. Emily, keep an eye on him."

"Certainly, Mrs. Rodgers. See you later," I said with a smile.

"Bye," she said and left the loft.

I looked at Castle who was still scrambling eggs in a bowl, and asked, "So, what's your surprise?"

"Oh, no mini Beckett, I'm not telling you."

"What? Why Not?'

"I think you and I both know why."

"Come on, Uncle Rick. I won't tell. She's not even here."

He sighed and said, "Well, okay. It's not that big of a secret anyway. Are you ready?"

"Yeah," I said with excitement.

"I became a PI," he said with a huge grin.

My mouth fell slack and I said, "You became a private investigator!?"

"Yeah, isn't it cool," Castle said as he pulled out a piece of paper and sliding it across the kitchen isle towards me.

I looked at the paper and asked, "Did you get this out of a cereal box?"

"Make fun, but I spent a lot of time trying to become a private investigator."

"Was it like a 48-hour course?"

"It was a week. And I had some fine training with the course, not to mention all my time spent on the field with your aunt Kate."

"Huh… Do you think aunt Kate will approve of this?"

"We both can't stand being apart from each, so I think she will be thrilled."

"Do you have any cases?"

"Well, no. I mean, I just got my certificate last night, but I did get myself an office, so I'm one step closer to being a professional private investigator."

"Hmm... interesting. So, do you need a Watson to your Sherlock?"

He chuckled and said, "Sorry mini Beckett, I don't think your cut out for the job. Maybe once you finished high school, I'll give you a chance."

"Aww, that's no fair. If I can go to the precinct, I can surely go with you. And you're not even a real PI, you just got a certificate off the internet."

"It's a legitimate certificate, which makes me a real private investigator. So, are you going to insult my new job some more, or are you going to join me mini Beckett?"

"Only if I can be your Watson."

"Okay, fine. Just don't get into any trouble."

I laughed and said, "Says the man who's always ending up in some kind of mess, and Aunt Kate having to bail you out."

"I think if we compare our track records of dangerous moments, we'd be tied."

"Touché."

Castle's phone started to ring and he said, "Looks like I got my first client."

I chuckled, and he picked up the phone to see what his first case as a PI was going to be.

* * *

I had to plead with Castle to let me come with him to his first case. He wasn't very happy with the idea, but I was able make my case, and here we were at a crime scene. It was more than likely Aunt Kate and the rest of the team, so Castle was probably going to take some heat on his new profession.

We were walking into the room, when we heard Ryan say, "Someone has to provide us with out-of-the-box thinking now that Castle's not around."

"Thank you, but I'll take it from here," Castle said.

"Castle? Emily? What are you two doing? You know that you're not allowed to be here," my aunt said with confusion.

"Actually, I am. Because I'm no longer Richard Castle, ordinary citizen," he pulled out his printed certificate and said, "I am now Richard Castle, private investigator."

"You got your PI's license? Without telling me?"

"I took an online course. Finished last night. Are you surprised?"

"Can we talk for a second?"

"Excuse me," he said to the others, before walking over to where aunt Kate was.

Ryan looked down at me and asked, "So, he really got his PI license?"

"Yep, shocker right," I said.

"Mmm-hmm," he nodded.

"What are you doing here mini B?" Esposito asked.

"I just want to see how all this turns out. I'm sure it's going to be entertaining," I said with a shrug.

They nodded before Castle turned around and said loudly, "No! Instead, I'm gonna conduct my own parallel investigation alongside yours."

"Nice try, but you know that's not gonna fly," Esposito said to him.

"Actually, it will fly. You see, as a licensed PI, I'm legally entitled to investigate this case on behalf of my client."

"Ah. So who's your client?" Ryan asked.

"I'm sorry, that's confidential."

"I'm sorry, so is this investigation," Esposito said.

"I'm afraid he's right. PI's license or not, this crime scene is closed. So, you're gonna have to go," my aunt said.

"That's fine. I've already seen everything I need to here, anyway. Mini Beckett and I will conduct our investigation elsewhere," Castle said.

"Elsewhere where?"

"I'm sorry, that's confidential too."

Castle pulled me away and we left the building to head to our next place.

* * *

Castle gathered some quick intel on the victim by visiting her neighbors, and then we headed to the preschool she worked at. Castle, already anticipating Aunt Kate's arrival, bought two coffees from a street vendor and waited outside of the establishment.

We saw Aunt Kate and Esposito making their way towards the school, so we went up to greet them.

"Castle, how did you get here?" my aunt asked.

"Well, it turns out the subway really is faster than morning traffic," Castle said matter-of-factly.

"No, I mean, how did you get here? To the school where Shana worked?"

"Oh! Well, the neighbors didn't know very much. I figured her work would be your next stop," he said before handing her a cup of coffee, and continuing like this was just an ordinary case they were working on, "So, I've heard about this place. It's the feeder school in the city. The only place to be if you're three years old and connected. Isn't that Spalding Elliot over there?"

"The State's top prosecutor. He's on the short list for Attorney General."

"And behind him, James Kallman, Internet billionaire. Even spotted Diddy in the carpool lane. Well, this place is a bastion of the city's elite. Wonder what our victim did here, what foul schemes she was tangled in."

Castle was about to walk into the building, before Aunt Kate grabbed him and said, "Uh, Castle, you can't just follow me inside and sit in on my interview."

"Well, actually, um, I was here first, so, really, you're following me."

Castle started walking in and I giggled at Aunt Kates expression. She gave me a look before we walked inside, following behind Castle.

* * *

We found Shana's employer at the preschool, Doctor Matthews, and she started telling us about the victim, "Shana was our admissions director. Parents, kids, everybody loved her."

"How did she seem to you recently? Any changes in her behavior?" Castle asked.

"Actually, I don't know. She hadn't been around the past few days."

"Why not?" my aunt asked.

"She'd been working long hours to finalize admissions for our new students. She'd just sent the acceptance letters out last week, so she took the past couple of days off to recover."

"If acceptance letters went out, does that mean rejection letters went out as well?" Castle inquired.

"Look, I know what you're thinking. And, yes, parents can get a bit emotional, especially when it comes to their kids being turned down. But nothing has ever risen to the level of something like this."

"Well, maybe this year it did. There's something you guys gotta hear," Esposito said as he stood on the stairs.

We went to Shana's office, and Esposito played her answering machine.

"You think you can ruin my kid's life? Bitch, I know where you live and you'll never see me coming!" an angry father yelled.

Esposito shut of the machine and said, "This was left on Shana's voicemail a few days ago. And pretty much describes what happened to her."

"Doctor Matthews, do you recognize this voice?" my aunt asked her.

"I'm afraid I don't," she said.

"Okay, check with the rest of the staff, see if anyone else does."

"We'll also need copies of the school's phone records, as well as a list of parents that received rejection letters," Esposito said the doctor.

"Of course," she said before leading Esposito out.

"Can I get a copy of that list too?" Castle asked Esposito as he walked by, but he just gave him a glare, and Castle said, "I'm gonna take that as a "no." Can't say that I'm shocked. Group of powerful people not used to hearing the word "no.""

"Come on, Castle. You really think that rejection from preschool qualifies as motive for murder?" my aunt asked.

"With a feeder school like this one? A rejection from here could mean not getting into the "right" elementary school, which affects high school, which affects college, and Oh, my God. People do insane things for their kids. You'll see."

My aunt just gave him a smile and started to leave, "Where are you off to?"

She turned to face him and said, "Back to the precinct."

"Oh."

"Look, Castle, if it was my choice…"

"Oh, please. Why would I wanna go to the precinct? No, a PI's work is done in the field, and I've got lots of leads to follow up on."

"Okay, I'll see you tonight. You too Em."

"See you tonight."

She left the room and Castle did a childish move while saying, "So unfair."

I laughed at him and said, "You're such a dork."

"Well it isn't fair. I miss the precinct."

"I understand, but you're a PI, so your even cooler."

He scoffed before looking around again and picked up a picture of Shana with her dog. He took out his cellphone and took a picture of the dog with a semi-evil laugh.

"What's with the picture of the dog?" I asked confused.

He showed me the picture and pointed at the dog's collar, "It's a tracking collar. If I can get a hold of its coordinates, I'll be able to find her and crack this case."

"Nice going Castle."

"Why thank you mini Beckett. Let's go track down this K9."

* * *

Castle got the tracking information of the collar from the company, and we were currently following the small red dot on his phones GPS.

"Are we close?" I asked him.

He stopped at the corner and said, "She should be right around here."

Just then a guy carrying the victims dog came into view across the street and Castle said, "All right, who are you and what are you doing with a dead woman's dog?"

"I don't know, but I think we'll find out," I mumbled.

We started following the man and the man started to turn around, probably knowing someone was following him. Castle grabbed me and spun around, facing the other way. I whispered to Castle and said, "This isn't suspicious at all…"

"Just act natural… He doesn't suspect a thing," he whispered back.

I let out a sigh, and Castle looked behind his shoulder to see if the guy was gone. Castle turned me around, and we continued to look for the man, now that he was out of sight. Castle looked down the alleyway and said, "Mini Beckett stay here."

I nodded and he went down the alleyway while I stayed behind, looking around the area. I heard Castle yelp, and I shook my head. Castle's in trouble again, but I guess I'd be a hypocrite since I'm always in trouble too.

I made my way down the alleyway and found Castle getting pepper sprayed by the man we were following. I laughed at Castle trying to tell the man who he was and took a picture of him with his teary and reddened eyes.

"You're a PI? Oh, man. I'm sorry. Here, come here," The man said as he pulled Castle to his feet, "I was mugged last week, all right? You can't trail people like that."

"Sorry. I'm looking into the murder of Shana Baker," Castle said, still coughing from the pepper spray

"Whoa, hey. Shana's dead?"

"Yes."

"She was my friend. Hey, who killed her?"

Castle offered to explain the situation to the man and they got some bottled water to clean Castle's eyes out from the pepper spray. They were sitting at a bus stop and I got to hold the dog because she was super cute. I listened to their conversation as I ran my fingers through the dog's soft fur and Jeremy, her friend/dog sitter, said, "Shana was going out of town. That's why she wanted me to keep Sparkles.

"I'm assuming you're better with dogs than you are with people. Where'd she go?" Castle asked as he dabbed at his eyes with a wet paper towel.

"No idea. In fact, the whole thing was sort of weird.

"How so?"

"Well, usually when I take Sparkles, she tells me weeks in advance. But this was really sudden. I had to take him right away. And she always tells me where she's going, but she didn't tell me this time. Do you think her trip had something to do with why she was killed?"

"Well, seeing as how she dropped her dog off with you and the very next day she was murdered, my guess would be, yeah, the two were related."

"Where do you think she went?"

"I'm not sure, but I think I can find that out."

"Thanks… Will you keep me informed?"

"Sure thing."

I handed the dog over to the guy and we all said our goodbyes, before heading in opposite directions. As Castle and I were walking, I asked, "Where are we going?"

"To the morgue," he answered.

"We aren't authorized to go down there."

"Well no, not technically. But I'm a PI now and whatever they don't know won't hurt them."

"Whatever you say."

* * *

We got to the morgue and thankfully Dr. Perlmutter wasn't anywhere in sight. Castle was reading over Shana's autopsy report, while I tried to keep an eye out for Perlmutter. I didn't see anyone coming, so I looked over to Castle and asked, "Did you find anything yet?"

"Not yet… Just keep looking…"

I looked back at the door, and found Perlmutter making his way to where we were. I walked over to Castle and said, "Incoming…"

"Ah! Castle!" Perlmutter said with annoyance.

"Perlmutter," Castle said with nervousness.

"What are you… You're looking at my victim's chart!"

"Well, I'm just making sure you filled it out properly. And may I say, for a man, you have exquisite handwriting."

I mentally faced palmed myself at Castle's pathetic lines to butter up Perlmutter, and watched as the two men chased each other around the room.

"Give it back!" Perlmutter said.

"Hey, hey, hey. Look, look, look! You could make this a lot easier on me, Perlmutter," Castle said from across room.

"Oh, because that's what I live for."

"I just believe that your victim traveled somewhere before she died. Is there anything in the autopsy that indicates where?"

"I would rather switch places with her than tell you. Now, give me that! I am warning you, Castle…"

"Here it is. "Stomach contents. Two ounces of peanuts, partially digested pretzels, blood contains trace amounts of over-the-counter sedative." She was on a plane. She flew somewhere," Castle put the report down on the autopsy table and said, "Thanks for your help."

He quickly left the room and I followed after him with a giggle at their childish manor.

"This isn't over!" I heard Perlmutter yell as we continued down the hall.

* * *

Castle and I were at his office that he had bought for his PI firm, and he was in a meeting with a woman named, Nicole Morris. As I was sitting at the window in his reception area, or whatever you want to call it, Aunt Kate walked into the place. She didn't notice me as she turned the corner and said, "Nicole Morris? Uh, Detective Beckett, NYPD. I… Castle? What are you doing here?"

Castle held the chair he was getting for Miss Morris and said, "I work here. Welcome to Richard Castle Investigations."

"Isn't it cool," I said.

My aunt just looked at us confused and said, "Can we talk for a sec?"

"Sure," he put down the chair for Miss Morris and said to her, "Excuse us for a second."

The woman nodded and they both went out to the reception area. Aunt Kate shut the office door behind her and asked, "When were you gonna tell me that you had an office?"

"Uh Eventually," he said.

"No, we're married. Married people tell each other things."

"Yeah, but you weren't exactly thrilled when I got my PI license."

"'Cause you didn't tell me! And what is she doing here?"

"Oh! She had lunch with the victim, right before the victim left town."

"No, no, no, I mean, how did you find her?"

"Ah. I was checking the victim's credit card for plane ticket charges to see where she flew, and instead I found a lunch charge…"

"Wait a minute. You checked her credit card records? How?"

"Okay, we're getting into kind of a gray area here, so let's just say it involved her mother's maiden name and a serviceable falsetto."

Castle's office door opened and Miss Morris said, "Uh, I'm sorry. I have another appointment. Is this gonna take much longer?"

"Be right there, Miss Morris," Castle said to her before he turned to Aunt Kate and asked, "So, Detective, so long as you're here, would you care to sit in on my interview?"

They both went inside Castle's office, and closed the door once again. I chilled out in the reception area as I waited for them to finish their interview and decided to play games on my phone.

* * *

About ten minutes later the door opened and Castle walked Miss Morris out, "Again, thank you, Miss Morris, for your time."

"Of course. Please, call me if I can help in any way," she said.

"I will."

She left the office and Castle ran back to Aunt Kate saying, "Did you hear that? Felony law about murder. Do you know what this means?"

"Yes, that there's a hell of a lot more to Shana's trip than we know," my aunt said.

"And whatever trouble she got involved in up there, I'm betting it followed her home."

"Okay, if that's the case, then… I'm… I'm sorry, Castle, we shouldn't be doing this."

"Doing what?"

"Uh, this. You, me, theorizing together. It's not right, especially here, after this whole PI thing, I…" Castle cut her off and said, "No! Shh! Don't think about it. Just think about how it feels when we work together. Besides, we have the place to ourselves. Who's gonna know?"

"Um… Still here…" I chimed in.

Castle rolled his eyes at me and Aunt Kate's phone started to ring. She looked at it and said, "It's work."

"Don't answer it."

"No, but I have to," she picked it up and said, "Hi, Espo. What's up? No! No, you're right, that can't be a coincidence."

"What's not a coincidence?" Castle asked as he followed Aunt Kate.

"Okay, bring him in."

"Bring who in?"

She turned around to face him after hanging up and said, "I'm sorry, baby, I gotta go."

She gave him a kiss on the cheek and started to leave before placing a quick kiss to my head.

"You're not gonna tell me anything? You said married people tell each other things!" Castle yelled out to her.

Aunt Kate kept walking as Castle stood at his firm's entrance, looking defeated that Aunt Kate didn't give him the scoop. I looked up at him and said, "Cheer up Uncle Rick, maybe we can find out what's going on, now that you're a PI and all."

He sighed and looked down at me, "I don't know, Mini Beckett. Maybe they'll get to the bottom of things before me."

"I believe in you Castle."

He smiled at me and said, "Thanks, mini Beckett."

"No problem. Now let's finish this case."

* * *

It was late, and Alexis happened to drop by and bring us some Chinese food. The three of us were eating our dinner and Castle said, "Thank you for picking up dinner."

"Didn't want you to starve on that PI's salary. So, how's your first case going?" Alexis asked.

"Did I tell you I got pepper sprayed today?"

"And I have the picture to prove it," I mumbled with a short chuckle.

Alexis gave a light laugh before saying to her father, "You say that like it's a good thing."

"Yeah, I mean, now I'm kind of stuck. I know our victim took a trip to Radnor University, I just have no idea why. I hacked into her social media accounts…"

"Wait, you know how to hack into social media accounts?"

"Hacking might be overstating it. Her password for everything is "Sparkles," her dog's name. Point is, without police resources, the best I can do is go through her friends' online posts and look for some connections to Radnor University."

"Are there any?"

"Just one thing, but it happened 15 years ago. I have no idea if it's even relevant. I just wish I knew what Beckett had."

Castle's office phone started to ring and he picked it up saying, "Richard Castle Investigations."

"Hey, babe. Just checking in. What are you doing?" I heard my aunt say since Castle had it on speaker.

"Oh, just hanging out at the office. How about you?"

"He has an office?" we heard Ryan say in the background.

"Uh, just wondering how your day's going?" my aunt asked.

"Good," Castle started, but Alexis gestured that he should elaborate further, "Really good, actually. How about yours?"

"Yeah, mine's good too. Really, really good."

"That's good. Great. I should have said, "Great." Mine's great."

"Great. That's…"

"Okay, so I'll see you tonight."

"See you tonight."

They both hung up and Alexis said, "She has something."

"And I'm gonna find out what," Caste said.

* * *

Castle and I went home and when we walked in, Aunt Kate was there with two glasses of wine.

"Oh, hey, there. You're home early," Castle said.

"Hey. I couldn't wait to see you. So, I picked up a bottle of wine on the way home. It's your favorite," she said as she handed him a glass that was filled almost up to the top.

"Oh, that is such a big glass. What's the occasion?"

"No occasion. I just figured this would be a great way for you to unwind after a long day at work."

"Oh, that's so nice. And where's your glass?"

"Oh, it's over there."

Aunt Kate had a very small amount of wine in her glass and Castle said, "Well, why don't we top that off for you, shall we? Once we get all nice and relaxed, unwind."

He poured some more wine into her glass from the wine bottle and his own glass, before handing it over to her, "You can tell me all about your day."

"Yeah. Wait a minute. You're not trying to ply me with wine to find out what I know about this case, are you?" she asked suspicious of his intentions.

"Of course not. That's not what you're trying to do, is it?"

"No."

"Okay. Because if you were trying to find out what I know, that would mean you're stuck."

"I'm not stuck."

"Good. Because I'm not stuck either."

I rolled my eyes at their failed attempts to acquire the information they wanted about the case and decided to head off to bed. They didn't even notice as they continued to get the info they were looking for.

* * *

I went down stairs the next morning and found Castle working in his office. I went inside and said, "Morning Uncle Rick. How'd last night go?"

"Uh, well… We exchanged some information and stuff…" Castle said with a shrug.

"Okay… Never mind, I definitely don't want any details. But information wise, was it anything useful?"

"Yeah, I just need to do some research on it."

Alexis came in and said, "Hey guys. What did you find out dad?"

"Well, I found out that Shana was looking for files on an old boyfriend who was murdered in college. Kate already seemed to get those files from Ryan."

"And?"

"Without access to those police files, they are gonna leave me in the dust."

"I thought you became a PI to work with Beckett. When did it become a competition?"

"When she took something beautiful that we'd built together and shared it with another man."

"What?"

"Investigatively speaking," we both rolled our eyes at him before he spoke up once again, "But I may have found a way to catch up. I have been looking for any mention of Shana's boyfriend's death. Wading through newspapers, public records, and the like. And, check this out. It's from the Radnor University Daily. Do you notice anything unusual about this ad?"

We both went over to Castle's computer and Alexis said, "That people were ever actually afraid of Y2K?"

"Yes, that, and the ad is above the fold. I worked on my school paper, that's layout 101. You never place an ad above the fold on the front page, unless something changed last minute, creating a space to fill."

"Like the lead story was shortened."

"Something was pulled from it just before they published. And I bet it relates to this case."

"You could track down the reporter, see if he could tell you."

"Except the story is credited to Staff. But there is someone else who knows."

"Who?"

"The person who ordered the article shortened in the first place. The editor."

* * *

Castle left to find the Editor of the college newspaper, Frank Jackson, and Alexis left to get to a class she had. So, I was home alone and eating a plain bagel with blueberry cream cheese for breakfast. Once I finished that up, I decided to watch some mid-morning cartoons to pass some time. While watching my third episode, Castle came in and I asked, "Did you solve the case?"

"I don't know… Jackson said it was Spalding Elliot, the federal prosecutor, who may have killed Shana Baker."

"So, what has you second guessing the accusation?"

"Em, you have to stop watching those crime shows."

I shrugged and said, "It helps build my vocabulary. So, what's wrong?"

"I remember reading an article that said he was allergic to long-haired dogs."

"And he couldn't possibly stay in her apartment with Sparkles around."

"Exactly."

"Castle, you have to get to the precinct before they arrest the wrong guy."

"I have an idea. Come on mini Beckett."

* * *

Castle asked Jeremy to meet him at the 12th precinct as we made our way to the precinct, hoping that his theory was correct. When we got there, they were already interrogating Spalding for the murder of Shana. Castle burst into the interrogation room to explain his findings to everyone.

Captain Gates forced Castle out of the room with a cold glare and asked, "Was I not clear when I told you to stay away from this case?"

She backed him up against the wall and he said, "Okay, I can see you're upset. But I promise, in a moment you'll understand," he motioned Jeremy over and said, "Jeremy. This is Jeremy. He is the victim's friend and dog-sitter."

"Oh, so, Jeremy is some sort of a witness?"

"Not quite. Jeremy, if I may?" Castle asked as he reached for the dog.

"Oh, the dog? The dog is the witness? Mr. Castle…"

"Just watch," he said before walking into the interrogation room.

I went to the door with everyone else to see if Castle's theory was indeed correct.

"Castle, what are you doing?" Aunt Kate asked.

"I'm proving this man's innocence," he said.

"Castle!"

"Mr. Elliot, if I may."

"Please, no," Mr. Elliot said as he started sneezing from the dog hair.

"See, I remember reading in a profile of Mr. Elliot that he has a severe allergy to long-haired dogs."

"And the victim's apartment was covered in dog hair," Aunt Kate said understanding where Castle was going with his theory.

"Exactly. Now, does this seem like the kind of man who could wait in Shana's apartment? Let alone smoke a cigarette while he did so?"

"Please," Mr. Elliot said, still sneezing away.

"No, but I mean, he could be faking the whole thing," my aunt said.

"Please. Please, get him out of here, before the hives start!"

"I think that ship has sailed," Castle said as Mr. Elliot started getting red splotches on his face.

"Okay, yeah, definitely not faking that," my aunt said as she looked at the poor man in front of her.

* * *

We all made our way to the investigation board after the whole incident with Mr. Elliot got taken care of. Ryan came over with a photo in hand, placing it on the board, and said, "Now, here is Spalding Elliot arriving at the fundraiser, the night of Shana's death. Note the lack of red splotches on his face."

"There is no way that he came straight from her apartment looking like that," Aunt Kate said.

"Which means Ryan nailed it before. This is a conspiracy," Esposito said.

"Ryan, you played the "C" card?" Castle asked him.

"Well, I mean, you weren't around. Somebody had to step up," Ryan said with pride.

Castle gave Ryan some props for his theory and Aunt Kate said, "Okay, for this set-up to work, someone had to activate Shana, and tell her about the cover-up."

"Right, that way her death would create an investigative path that led straight to Elliot," Castle said.

"Setting him up for her murder," Esposito said before taking a sip of coffee.

"My guess is we're dealing with some kind of big-money fixer, a shadowy gun-for-hire Michael Clayton type."

"Well, whoever planted Elliot's DNA at the crime scene had to have gotten the cigarette butt from somewhere," Aunt Kate said.

"Which means they had to intersect with Elliot at some point. If we can figure out where and when…" Castle started before he was cut off by the Captain, ""We," Mr. Castle?"

"Really? But I… I brought… On a silver… Fine. I'll show myself out. Come on mini Beckett," he said as he walked away.

I waved bye to everyone and followed a once again defeated Castle to the elevator.

* * *

Castle dropped me off at home and he headed back to his PI office, so he could get some alone time after losing out on the case. That was a few hours ago, and I happened to fall asleep while I was playing on my laptop. When I woke up, I was thirsty, so I decided to go downstairs and get a bottle of water.

I didn't know Aunt Kate and Castle came home, and found them making out on the couch. I covered my eyes and said, "Oh, guys… Gross… Your rooms right over there…"

"Em, you're supposed to be sleeping," my aunt said with a raised brow.

"I got thirsty."

"Okay, then get your bottle and get to bed. You have school in the morning."

"Fine, but did you solve the case?" I asked as I grabbed a bottle from the fridge.

"We did, with the help of Castle. It turned out to be Miss Morris who was behind the whole thing."

"That's great. And nice hat Castle, you're a real Sherlock now."

"Yes, I am. And I have my magnifying glass too."

"Sweet… Welp, I'm off to bed. I'll let you two get back to your fun," I said with a giggle.

My aunt scrunched up her face with a shocked smirk and threw a pillow at me. I chuckled at her before I ran up the stairs to get back to bed.

Maybe Castle's PI gig won't be so bad after all, and it'll definitely be fun to investigate with him on his own now that he's not with Aunt Kate. I guess we'll all see how this works out.


	62. Chapter 62

AN: This chapter was loosely inspired by Episode 5 of Season 7 "Meme Is Murder" and the video games: _Sarah Is Missing_ and _Welcome to The Game_. Thank's to everyone for following, favoriting, and reviewing this story. Here's the next chapter everybody, enjoy. Don't forget to Review. :)

Disclaimer: I do not own Castle or it's characters.

* * *

How Bad Can it be?

I was walking through the halls at school and everyone was whispering somberly to one another. I wondered what was up and Mike made his way over to me from his locker with a sad expression.

"What's going on? Why is everyone so sad?" I asked.

"You didn't hear?" he asked.

"No… Is it bad?"

"Yeah… Macey's brother, Henry, was found dead 25 miles from his dorm in Northern Pennsylvania."

"No way, he always came to see her when he was in town and helped out around the school. Is there any information about how he died?"

"Rumor has it that many students at his campus were sent this weird link to their phones and emails."

"What was the link about?"

"No one knows for sure… It's all speculation, but one guy said it accessed some kind of live feed and some guy was being tortured."

"That's weird. Did Henry watch it?"

"They say he did, but who really knows."

"Wow, that's nuts. Did this happen before?"

"Yes, I heard the link popped up a few months ago, around the west coast. A few people, ranging in many different age brackets, were found dead after supposedly receiving and watching the said link."

"Why doesn't the FBI track down the link and find the people who did this?"

"I asked my brother the same thing. He heard that the link changes every time and each time the FBI tracks it down, it's a dead end."

"Until the next one pops up and the cycle starts again."

"Yup, crazy."

Everyone's phones started to buzz and ring through the halls of the school, and we all started to check the new message. I went into the new text and it read: " _Who's next? -LINK-…_ "

I looked up at Mike and said, "I guess they found their next targets."

* * *

The school was flooded with local authorities and even the FBI. They wanted to track down these tyrannical killers once and for all, so they didn't have any more victims due to this crazy link. Aunt Kate came up to me and said, "Hand it over, Em."

"What? Why?" I asked.

"I know you, you're not going to delete that link. You're too curious."

"But Aunt Kate…"

"Hand the phone over."

She reached out her hand for the phone, and I gave it up with a sigh. She took it and quickly went through my messages to remove the link. She gave it back and said, "Don't go snooping Em or get the link somewhere else, this can be very dangerous."

"We don't even know if it's the real thing. It could be some random kid from the school, trying to be funny," I said.

"Yeah, it could be a hoax, but it could very well be the real deal. I don't want you or any other students here getting hurt. So, drop it."

"Fine."

Castle walked over with two cups of coffee in his hand and said, "Hey, got here as soon as I got the call. Grabbed us some coffee too."

Aunt Kate took one of the coffee cups from Castle and said, "Thanks."

"What are you doing here Castle? Aren't you banned from shadowing Aunt Kate?" I asked.

"Well, yeah… But your aunt called me to take you home."

"Really?"

"It's for the best," my aunt said.

"So, I heard we're dealing with this mysterious link that's been popping up nationwide. Think it's the same people or copycat?" Castle asked.

"As of now, we're thinking a copycat. The incidences from California, Seattle, Nebraska, and Pennsylvania, could all be works of copycats, or the same people. Honestly, no one really knows for certain if these are all connected."

"Beckett," Esposito called out as he made his way over with a tall man from the FBI.

"Detective Beckett, my name is Randle Pierce, and I've been overseeing this case for several months now. The bureau has been making some progress in this case, but it hasn't been enough. It would be of great help if we can get you and your team to help us out," Agent Pierce said with extreme seriousness.

"It's not like the FBI to ask the small agencies for help," she said.

"I'm well aware of that, but since your city is more than likely the next intended target, we can use more hands-on deck, and local enforcement could potentially help us track down these criminals."

"We'll be happy to help Agent Pierce. We want to get these guys off the street as much as you do."

"Glad to here that detective. We'll discuss things further back at the precinct."

He nodded to us all, before he made his way over to his fellow FBI members.

"At least we're not getting thrown off this case like all the others," Esposito said with a huff.

"Yeah, I was thinking the same thing," she said to him before turning to Castle and I, "You guys head home and I'll see you guys later."

"It stinks that I can't come," I said.

"I'm sorry Em, but it's better this way. This is a serious investigation and with the FBI involved we're going to be extremely busy at the precinct. I'll see you guys later."

She gave Castle a short kiss on the cheek and then one to the top of my head. She walked away with Esposito in toe and I let out a short sigh.

"Don't worry mini Beckett, I wish I could be there too," Castle said to me.

"I know… I guess we should go home and drown in our sorrows," I said.

He let out a short chuckle and said, "Okay, we'll do that."

* * *

We got back to Castle's place and he started making us some lunch. I sat at the kitchen isle watching him do his thing, and asked, "Do you think they'll find the people behind this before they strike again?"

Castle looked up at me and shrugged, "I don't know. I sure hope so though. This seems like a crazy case."

"Yeah, did you hear where the link leads to?"

"No, I heard it was some crazy website that you can't normally get to without the special link."

"Apparently it's some sort of live torture room."

"Seriously… That sounds sick."

"Yeah, it does. Who would want to watch that?"

"People are twisted mini Beckett. I'm sure most people who get that link don't even know what it's linked to."

"That's true… Then they wind up a contestant for the next live broadcast."

"If that's the case, I hope the FBI and the 12th precinct crack this case before it's too late."

"Yeah me too. Who knows how many lives are at stake."

"Exactly."

Castle finished preparing the food and handed a plate over to me, before taking a seat next to me with his own lunch. I took a bite out of my sandwich and said, "Thanks Uncle Rick. This is great."

"No problem, thought we could both use a little food after all of this."

"Definitely."

We continued to eat our lunch, until Castle's cellphone started to ring. He used a napkin to wipe off his hands and pulled his phone from his pocket. He looked at the number before answering it promptly and said, "Richard Castle investigations, how may I be of service? You have a case for me… No, it's not a bad time… I'd be delighted to look into it for you… Is fifteen minutes good? Yes, okay I'll see you there… Bye."

Castle hung up and I asked, "Have a case?"

"Yeah, sounds promising too. All I've been getting is requests for an autograph and picture, or cases that deal with lost pets."

"Well I hope this one is something good."

"Me too. Would you like to tag along mini Beckett?"

"I'd love to uncle Rick, but I have a lot of homework since school got canceled today."

"All right, suit yourself. I'll let you know if it's anything good."

"Sounds good."

He planted a kiss to my temple before he put his half-eaten sandwich in the refrigerator. He grabbed his keys and wallet from the kitchen counter and said, "I'll see you later mini Beckett and don't eat my sandwich."

I chuckled at him and said, "Okay, I'll leave it alone. But if I get hungry there's no knowing if that sandwich will last in there."

"I'll be back before dinner, I promise. So, hands off."

"Okay, okay."

"Bye mini Beckett."

"Bye, Uncle Rick."

He left the apartment and a smirk grew on my face. I may not have the link anymore, but I was sure going to look for it.

* * *

After hours of scavenging the internet, I was still nowhere with finding the link. I checked several different forums and websites to see if someone posted about it, but there was absolutely nothing. Sure, there were some talks about the mysterious link and the crazy murders, but more were speculations other than facts. Not that anyone really knows what the true facts are.

My phone started buzzing and I checked the caller ID to find out that it was Mike calling. I answered the phone and said, "What's up Mike?"

"Nothing much, cutie," he said.

"Please just call me Emily, or Emmy. No more cute nicknames, it's weird."

"Leon gives his girlfriend lots of names… Like baby doll, pudding, sugar buns, sweet cheeks…" I cut off Mike's annoying rambling and said, "Mike… Focus. We're not your brother and his girlfriend. Plus, they're older and stranger to begin with."

"Okay, okay… I was just trying to be sweet…"

"I know Mike. That's why I like you, but let's act normal, okay?"

"You do know there's nothing normal about me, right?"

I laughed and said, "Oh yeah, I know. That's what makes you so interesting."

"Ha-ha… So, what are you up to?"

"I'm trying to find that link."

"Why would you do that?"

"How bad can it be?"

"Really bad if it is the real deal."

"I'll be fine. I seriously doubt they can locate me and the FBI are on it."

"I don't know about this Emmy…"

"Well, I haven't come up with the link yet, so I doubt if I'll ever find it. I may be safe after all."

"Just be careful. I don't want you getting hurt."

"I know Mike. I'll talk to you later, okay?"

"Okay. Bye Emmy."

"Bye."

I hung up the phone and continued to search online. I just got into a new link that looked promising when my phone beeped to let me know I had a new message. I thought it was going to be Mike, but to my surprise, it was an unknown number. I went into the message and it read, " _THE FBI CAN'T FOIL OUR PLANS! THIS TIME WE'RE GOING BIG! JOIN US: -Link-_ "

I gulped as I read the message, and questioned if I should really do this. I decided to check it out and see if it was real or fake. I typed the link into my computer and hit the enter button with slight hesitation. The website popped up onto my computer and one word flashed up on the screen in a red spooky font: "WELCOME"

It flashed a few more times before it opened a live video feed and a chatroom to the right of it. The video buffered for a couple of seconds before two guys popped up on the screen. They were dressed in all black and were wearing creepy clown masks.

The one man with a bloody clown mask came up to the screen and said, "Welcome, ladies and gentlemen. We don't have a show for you today, but get ready for it. It's coming and this is going to be our biggest one yet."

The other guy, with a green nosed clown mask, stepped up to the camera, and said, "That is true. We'll be live streaming for 24 hours, and instead of one special guest we'll be having two."

"Yep, two lucky people will be sitting in these chairs directly behind us for 24 hours of live torture. And of course, you'll be picking exactly what we'll be doing to them."

"Like always, we'll have our Elite members getting the first pick, but we swear it'll be a blast."

"We even have a few new methods of torture to try out, but you have to vote for them tomorrow, or we won't use them."

"That's right, so make sure you tune in. The live stream will begin tomorrow at 9:30pm and end the following day."

"So, pop open your packs of Red Bull or Monster, and enjoy."

"See you all tomorrow," they said together.

They both waved eerily at the camera before the screen went black. I wasn't sure if it was 100% real, but it sure seemed like it. I should really call Castle or Aunt Kate, but then I'd get into extreme amounts of trouble for even being on this site. I went to exit out of the site and it wouldn't close. The only thing I got when I hit the exit button was an error sound and a short glitch of the window. I noticed a little tracer arrow next to my wi-fi at the top of my computer and wondered if they were tracking me.

I desperately tried to shut my computer down, but my screen was stuck. I decided to hold the power button for it to turn off and my computer immediately went dark, shutting down like I wanted to. I let out a sigh, but it would be short lived, because my computer rebooted and popped up to the same website. The only thing that was different was the text on the screen: "WE'RE COMING FOR YOU!"

I threw my laptop at the wall on the opposite side of me and grabbed my cell phone. I was about to dial Aunt Kate when there was a knock on the door. I was panicked now, not knowing who was at my door. It could be a coincidence, but in my experiences, there's usually nothing coincidental about it. My phone buzzed in my hand making me jump and I opened the new message with nervousness.

" _Aren't you going to get that?_ "

I stared at my phone, not believing that these criminals were here. The person banged on the door with more force this time and I went downstairs nervously. I got to the door and prepared to fend off whoever was at my door. I opened the door and standing in front of me was a man, about 5'11", wearing a hockey mask and carrying a large duffle bag.

I went to slam the door on him, but he grabbed the side of it and pushed it open. I went to scream, but he grabbed my face roughly and spun me around and into his chest. I tried desperately to get out of his grasp, knocking items around the house onto the ground during the struggle. He placed a large rag over my face and I knew that I was a goner as I slipped into unconsciousness.


	63. Chapter 63

AN: Happy Holidays. This is Part 2 of _How bad can it be?_. It's a little longer than I intended, but it turned out well _._ Thank's to everyone for following, favoriting, and reviewing this story. Here's the next chapter everybody, enjoy. Don't forget to Review. :)

Disclaimer: I do not own Castle or it's characters.

* * *

This is Torture

3rd Person POV

Castle finished his meeting with what he thought was a potential client, but it turned out the flash drive the woman wanted to be found because it had "sensitive" stuff on it, was in her purse the whole time. She just happened to put it in the wrong compartment of the purse which she doesn't check and went unnoticed in there for several days. Castle was disappointed that he hasn't had any good cases lately, but he figures that there is always going to be some hits and misses while working as a PI.

He went home, hoping Emily kept her word about not touching his sandwich. Emily could be a sneaky little bug sometimes, but Castle enjoyed having her as part of the family even if she steals his food and drives him and Kate a little crazy.

Castle reached the door to his apartment and noticed it was opened slightly, leaving a slight crack into his apartment. He pushed the door opened slowly and looked around with nervousness. He noticed Emily's phone was on the ground, and several items in his place were overturned and on the floor. He picked up Emily's phone and looked at the slightly damaged screen.

He started heading upstairs and called out to her, "Mini Beckett? Are you here? Emily?"

He continued his way to her room and still didn't receive an answer from her. He got to her room and found the door opened, but Emily was nowhere in sight. He walked inside and saw her computer shattered and broken on the floor near her wall. Castle was worried and didn't know if this was a robbery gone wrong or something way worse than that.

Emily's phone started to ring and Castle looked down to see a picture with Emily and Mike pop up on the screen. He saw Mike's name as the contact and answered it to see if he could get some answers.

"Mike, this is Castle. Do you know where Emily is?" he asked the young boy.

"No sir. I just spoke to her a few hours ago, is she missing?" Mike asked with worry.

"I'm not sure yet. I found her cellphone damaged and her computer is broken."

The boy was quiet on the other end and Castle had a feeling he knew what was going on, "Mike, tell me what you know."

"I… I told her not to do it Mr. Castle."

"What did she do, Mike? She could be in danger."

"She wanted to find the link to the torture room. She wanted to see if it was real or fake. A couple of hours ago, another message came through. I think she might have watched it."

Castle ran a hand over his face, worried that Emily could be in some serious danger, and said, "Mike, I need you to meet me down at the precinct. Can you do that?"

"Am I going to get in trouble?" he asked.

"You're not in any trouble Mike. You can help us save Emily."

"Okay, anything for her."

"All right… Do you still have that message by any chance?"

"Yeah, I do."

"Okay, I'll meet you down there in fifteen minutes."

"See you there, sir."

Castle hung up and grabbed Emily's broken laptop. He hoped the precinct and the FBI would be able to get down to the bottom of this, before Emily became the next victim of an internet torture room.

* * *

Castle arrived at the precinct and saw Mike out front, standing nervously with his hands tucked deep in his jacket pockets. He told the young boy to come with him, trying to reassure him that everything was going to be okay. They got off the elevator and made their way towards Beckett's desk, finding her speaking with Esposito and Ryan about pertinent information.

She looked at Mike and Castle who were now standing in front of her and asked, "What's going on?"

"Emily's missing and we think they have her," Castle said.

"You mean as in our suspects pertaining to this case?"

"Yes, Mike tell her what you know."

Mike looked up at detective Beckett and said, "Emily tried to find the link and when they texted a new one a few hours ago, I think she may have looked it up. I really think they have Emily and they're going to torture her."

"I can't believe she would do this. How could you let this happen Castle?" Kate asked him with anger.

"Kate, I had no clue she would do that. I was at a meeting and she told me she had homework to do. I didn't think anything of it," he said, defending himself.

"I'm sorry Castle, I'm just worried about her, and I knew she would try to look into this. I should have just brought her here."

"Hey, don't worry about it. We'll find her, we have the FBI and our team to look into this."

"Castle's right Beckett, we'll do everything in our power to get mini Beckett back," Ryan said.

"I even brought her computer and phone with us, so Tory can find anything that may help us," Castle said while holding up the two items.

"I'll take those to her, but I have a feeling the tech guy from the FBI will take it on," Esposito said while grabbing the items.

"Speaking of FBI, I should mention this to Agent Pierce," Beckett said as she looked over to the man who was directing orders to his team in the small conference room.

"You go talk to Pierce and I'll try to find out if that lead we got earlier was anything promising," Ryan said before walking away.

"Mike," Kate said to the boy, trying to get his attention.

"Yes, Detective Beckett," he said.

"Do you think you can stick around in case we need your help?"

"Sure, anything to help Emmy."

"Thanks."

Beckett started making her way towards the conference room and Castle was by her side just like normal. Agent Pierce noticed the two approaching the room, so he decided to meet them half way.

"Do you have anything Detective Beckett?" Agent pierce asked.

"My niece watched the link and now she's missing," she said to him.

"Are you sure it was them?"

Castle interjected and said, "Yes, I'm positive. I checked my apartment and it showed signs of a scuffle, not a robbery, and her phone and computer were damaged."

"Do you have those items?"

"Esposito already gave them to our tech girl and your tech guy," Kate said.

"All right, hopefully they can get something off of them," Pierce looked over at Mike and said, "Who's the boy?"

"He's Emily's friend from school, he talked to Emily prior of her kidnapping and found out she was trying to find the link."

"So, when the new link popped up a few hours ago, she looked it up."

"We presume so."

"All right, I'll get my team on it. Can you work this case Detective?"

"It wouldn't be the first time… So yes, I'll be capable of working this case."

He nodded and said, "Good to hear. If you find anything or if we find anything, we'll be sure to keep each other in the loop."

"Yes sir."

He gave a tight nod to them and walked back into the conference room, talking to his men. Castle turned to Kate who was currently running a hand threw her brown hair. Castle placed a comforting hand on her shoulder and said, "We'll find her Kate. We always do."

"I know, but it just takes that one time to be too late. I can't even fathom losing Em, and I feel like I'm getting put to the test every time she's missing."

"I understand… Emily has been in my heart for years now, and I don't want to lose her either. But I know we'll get her back."

"Thanks Castle, you're always positive during these kinds of times."

"It's the only way I can get through it."

Kate nodded with a sad smile and said, "Let's go see what we can find out. Who knows how long we have."

* * *

Emily's POV

I started to awaken and the first sense that was restored was my smell. All I smelled was a damp and moldy type of setting and I knew it wasn't good. I could also smell a faint tint of copper from the blood that was probably shed by several different people, but it was very mellow, so maybe they're clean killers. I lifted my head slowly, because it felt like it weighed a ton and my vision was still slightly blurry. I could partially make out dark stone walls and concrete floors, but not much more. The whole sight was eerie and reminded me of all the other creepy places I've been after being kidnapped by lunatics.

"You're awake," I heard a man mumble from beside me.

I thought I would find one of my captors next to me, but it turned out to be another hostage. He was strapped to a metal chair with silver duct tape and looked around Henry's age, between late teens and early twenties.

"You watched the link too?" I asked quietly.

"Yeah… I feel so stupid," he said shaking his head.

"Don't, I was stupid for even wanting to look into it."

"You're so young… You shouldn't be here…"

"It's what I get for trying to look into something I had no business in, but I'd rather be here than someone else."

He looked at me with shock from my last statement and said, "You want to be here?"

"My aunt is a detective and the FBI are already looking into this. They have a chance at finding these perps and I've been kidnapped multiple times. I think I can handle it."

"Wow, I'm older than you and I think I'm scared senseless more than you are."

"Don't worry, after your third kidnapping it kind of gets redundant. Doesn't mean it's any less scary, but a few things still surprise and scare me. Being tortured is definitely something different and scary, but we'll make it… I know it."

"You've been taken that many times?"

"Yep, actually more than that. But each experience is something new."

"Wow, I don't think I could handle that. What's been your worse experience so far? If you don't mind me asking…"

I managed a small smile despite our predicament and said, "Probably when I was buried alive and it was freezing because of the snow… That was probably the closest I've come to death, not that some of my other brinks with death was close and scary, but being buried alive definitely scarred me for life."

"You've been buried alive!? Damn kid, you'll have one hell of a story to tell when you grow up."

"I guess so…"

"You said your aunt is a Detective and the FBI are on this, right?"

"Yeah."

"Do you think they'll find us in time?"

"There is no knowing for sure. Most of the time they crack the case right open and get their suspects, but who knows if it'll be in time or at all."

"That's reassuring…"

I gave a partial shrug since I was tied down and said, "It's the truth."

He sighed and said, "I know."

It was quiet between us and I asked, "What's your name by the way? Might as well get acquainted if we're going to be tortured together."

He gave a slight chuckle and said, "My name is Zeke. What's yours?"

"Emily."

"Nice to meet you."

"You too."

A door opened and we both went rigid in our seats. The guy with the bloody clown mask came in and said, "Well, well, well… They're both up. Aren't you two excited for tonight?"

"Let her go…" Zeke growled out.

"Wow, already complaining… Too bad we still have a few more hours to go until we start."

"She's just a child. Just use me."

"Now, now sir… We can't do that."

"Why the hell not?"

"Easy, we told our viewers that we'd have two victims. Here in our torture room we deliver. We don't have time to go out and find another one, so a youngster will have to do."

"You're sick."

The clown chuckled and said, "Far from it good sir. We here in the torture room are ridding people for our existence. This is all for the greater good and if you can't see that, I'm glad to have you as one of our unwilling guests."

"Your just taking innocent people from their homes and slaughtering them for your own sick and twisted fantasies."

"Tsk… Tsk… I didn't think you'd be so feisty. But until you can learn to be silent, I'm going to have to shut you up."

The clown guy got up and grabbed some duct tape from an old table. He started peeling some tape off from the roll and Zeke tried to plead with him, "Come on dude… You don't need to do this."

"Can't get yourself out of this one… You've already brought this upon yourself. But don't worry, you'll get it removed once we start, but only if you can behave yourself."

He wrapped the tape around Zeke's head, going around twice before ripping the piece off and sticking it to the rest of the wrap. Zeke mumbled something, but it was mumbled because of the layer of tape covering his mouth.

"Ah, that's better," the clown said before looking over at me.

"What?" I asked.

"It's crazy looking at the kid who ruined my life four and a half years ago," he said.

"How did I possibly ruin your life?"

He lifted his mask, revealing a young face, maybe around 18 or 19, and said, "You took my father away from me."

"I… Wait, I didn't… I don't know how I did that…"

"Does the name Tony Escobar ring any bells?"

Realization hit me as the name of the man who buried me alive rolled off the guy's tongue.

"You're his son," I whispered.

"Bingo, we have a winner… My name is Ethan, Ethan Escobar, and you got my father put in prison. I was fifteen years old and he was gone. I just started high school, and you know how hard it was to go around my school without people telling me I was no good like my father, and that my father was a creep," Ethan said with anger.

"Listen, your father brought it upon himself. He's the one who helped Roman kidnap me, he's the one who buried me alive, and he's the one who caused all this. This isn't any of my fault."

"The hell it isn't. You happened to put yourself in all those predicaments and isn't it the curiosity that put you in this predicament too."

"What's your point?"

"Come on… I thought you were smart… The point is, you brought all of this upon yourself. You're too curious for your own damn good, and this time I'm going to finish what my dad started."

"You won't get away with this."

"Oh, that's where you're oh so wrong, Emily Beckett. We'll be long gone before any authorities even find us. You'll be dead, and I'll have revenge for my dad and every other person whose life was ruined because of you."

The door opened and the green nosed clown came in. He walked over to Ethan and said, "Seriously dude!? You just had to give her the whole revenge speech."

"I had too."

"I told you that your personal issues aren't supposed to be put out there, just do what you came here to do and be done with it. You can celebrate later, but keep that personal shit on lock, got it?"

"I'm not going to get blinded by my personal issues."

"Could have fooled me… Now come on, you know who is here and he needs to set up."

"Do you need me to knock them out?"

"No, we have our masks. They can watch, and it might make them more nervous, which is the best."

"Okay."

The two men left and I looked over at Zeke who looked depressed and worried.

"I'm sorry…" I whispered.

He shook his head, telling me it was okay.

"We'll get out of here…. I know it," I said, hoping Aunt Kate and the FBI were closer to figuring this all out.

* * *

3rd person

It's been several hours since Emily went missing and the FBI nor the precinct has gotten anywhere with the case. Every time they find something promising with the links on Emily's phone and computer, it turned out to be a dead end, taking them back to square one. They had no clue where to begin with the whole investigation, they even set up a tip line, but none of the calls they received were useful or provided any promising information.

Around 8pm in the evening Mike received a text on his cellphone. He thought it would be his mom asking if he'd be home soon, but it was an unknown number. He walked over to detective Beckett and said, "I think it's them."

Kate took the phone from the boy and opened the new text message. The text read: " _We're just an hour away from our 24-hour live torture stream. Come join us and watch the countdown till the stream begins. -Link-_ "

Kate walked over to the Agent Pierce and said, "They sent out a new link. Apparently their going to have a 24-hour live stream."

"24 hours, they must be confident that they'll get away with this again," Agent Pierce said.

"I agree. Do you think your tech guy can get us into the website without being detected?"

"He can try," Pierce turned to his tech guy and asked, "Kenneth, do you think you can get us into this link without being detected by these guys?"

"I can certainly try. I'll have to go through several IP addresses, and use different routers, but I think I can throw them off our scent for a while," Kenneth said.

"Do you think it'll be long enough to hack into their system and locate them?"

"I don't know, sir. If they're as good as I think they are, they'll be using the same technique, and if I try to hack into their server, they may be on to us faster than when we got in."

"Fine, we'll work with what we got. Just get us in for now Kenneth."

"Yes, sir."

Kenneth started working on setting up everything to get into the link unnoticed, and Castle walked over to Kate.

"Do you really want to watch?" Castle asked her.

Kate sighed and said, "As much as I don't want to, I need to know if she's okay."

"I understand. I want to know if she's okay too."

"I hope we get to her before they hurt her."

"Me too. Why would they even want to torture a little girl?"

"I don't think they knew Castle. They pick their targets at random through the IP addresses and servers…"

"Yeah, but we don't know that for sure."

"We don't, but so far the other crimes have been all randomized as far as we know."

"Sure, but something seems off. Most of the victims have been college students, and a few adults. No one under 18 has been targeted until now."

"Look Castle, suspects change their motives all the time, or maybe they're trying to get more views… I'm not ruling out that this wasn't random, but it seems more likely that it is."

Castle nodded slowly and said, "Sure, maybe I'm seeing too much into this."

"It's a good theory though, but I doubt it's true."

"Hey, I think I got it," Kenneth said from the tech room.

A few FBI agents, along with Pierce piled into the tech room. Castle, Beckett, Esposito, and Ryan made their way into the room, making it a tight squeeze for everyone. The link popped up and a countdown showed on screen in white bold letters: "REMAINING: 25:03"

The numbers kept counting down and Esposito asked, "How do we know this is going to work?"

Kenneth looked up at him and said, "Um… I went through several different servers and IP addresses to mask our identity. It should hold up for a while and I can try deflecting their attacks for as long as I can, but sometimes it gets a little tricky."

"Just make sure it's long enough that we can catch these guys and get Mini B back. If she dies because this fails…"

"Esposito, this is going to work and we're going to find her. We just have to stay calm," Castle said.

"Castle's right. Let's stay focused and figure this case out," Kate said before turning to Kenneth, "You said you can hack into their server?"

"Well, yeah… I mean I can try. We may have to wait a while before doing so, because if I start the process right away they'll be on to us," Kenneth said.

"Do what you can Kenneth, you've gotten us this far," Agent Pierce said.

"Yes, sir. I'll do my best."

* * *

Emily's POV

Ethan, the other guy in the clown mask, and the man who kidnapped me with the hockey mask, were finishing setting up their equipment to broadcast their torture room on the internet. They had several different cameras at different angles, but their main camera sat in the middle of the room, probably getting the view of both us and then some.

"How many minutes do we have dude?" Ethan asked the guy with the hockey mask.

The hockey masked guy took out his phone and said, "10 minutes."

"Great… Noah, get the tools, so we don't forget."

"Yo, don't use my real name," Noah, the other clown masked guy said.

"They'll be dead anyway… And we're not on air yet. So, get the damn tools."

"Fine…"

"I'm going to go set up my laptop to trace anyone who shows up… You good in here?" the man with the hockey mask asked.

"Uh… Yeah, we should be good once Noah gets back with the tools. Let me know when we get to 12 hours, so we can take a short break," Ethan said.

"Okay, how we going to do this?"

"Just pop your head in and I'll know."

"Got it… We're going to keep rolling on them, right?"

"Yup, and we'll only be gone for about twenty minutes or so. Just to take a bathroom break and drink some energy drinks."

"Sounds good, I'll go get ready."

Hockey mask left the room and Ethan yelled out, "Noah! Hurry up! The clock is tickin'!"

"I'm coming," Noah yelled as he pulled a large table filled with different surgery instruments and power tools.

"Did you get our new thing?"

"No, I couldn't carry that and this."

"Well, go get it. We only have five minutes before we go live."

"All right, geeze…"

Noah left the room again and Ethan turned to me, "Ready Emily… This is going to be so much fun."

"You're a jerk!" I yelled at him.

He laughed and said, "I don't see how I'm the jerk. Now you, you're the jerk. You destroy people's lives… That's what you do. So now, you'll be getting what you deserve. We have plenty of time and lots of different tools to choose from. Just to warn you, we have some twisted people who come into our chat rooms and they're not going to go easy on you," he turned to Zeke and said, "That goes for you too buddy. They'll have lots of fun torturing you."

Zeke grumbled something through the duct tape and Ethan said, "I didn't quite catch that, but it must have been something on the lines of that you're excited and can't wait. Well, I agree with you there."

Noah came in with some weird looking equipment and said, "Okay, I got it… How much time do we have left?"

"2 minutes… Now set it up somewhere by the wall and get in position," Ethan said while instructing Noah.

Noah placed the item where he was told and stood in front of Zeke, while Ethan stood in front of me. Ethan checked the two monitors by the camera equipment, one was showing footage of us and the other showed an empty chat room.

"Can you see the chat from here?" Ethan asked.

"Yeah… Did you make it the same size as last time?" Noah asked.

"Yep, thought it was good…" Ethan looked at his laptop on the desk and said, "Get ready, 5 seconds until show time."

A red light flicked on, telling them that they were now live. Ethan took a small step forward towards the camera and said, "Good Evening, ladies and gentleman. I hope you're ready for a fun filled 24-hours of live torture."

"It looks like this one is going to be the best one yet. We already have 200 people in our live stream and we're only getting started," Noah said.

"That's right, and to kick this whole thing off, we're going to ask our loyal viewer Killerofall57 to take his first pickings. Are you here buddy?"

Noah read the comments on the other monitor and said, "Yup, he's here and he said he's excited to have the first pick."

"Okay Killerofall57, who would you like to see get it first and with what?"

It was quiet for a few seconds and Noah said, "I think he's having a hard time deciding."

Ethan chuckled and said, "Well, it's a hard decision to make."

"Wait, here it is… He said that we should start with the guy and use the lighter on his fingertips."

"Hmm… Starting off small aren't we. I guess we don't want to go too over board, we still have more than 23 hours to go."

"Guess, so."

Ethan walked over to the table with the tools and grabbed a lighter from the top shelf. He went over to Zeke and turned on the lighter, making the flame flicker to existence and giving the cold dim room an eerie glow. Noah lifted Zeke's right hand and I could see Zeke trying to struggle, but it was no use since he was restrained and Noah had a tight grip.

Ethan placed the lighter under Zeke's pointer finger and even though his mouth was still taped shut, the scream he let out was still loud and painful to hear. Ethan laughed as he pulled the lighter away and said, "How could I be so silly? I forgot to take the tape off his mouth, so we could all hear his pitiful screams."

"We always love to hear their screams, right guys?" Noah said.

The chat was lighting up with several different comments, but I couldn't read them from where I was sitting, but I figure they weren't very good anyway. Ethan grabbed a scalpel from the table and put it against the tape covering Zeke's face and mouth.

"Let's remove this, shall we?" Ethan said.

Ethan moved the scalpel down Ethan's cheek, cutting not just the tape, but also part of his skin, making it bleed. He ripped the tape off of Zeke's face, making him scream out in agony.

"Well, that's much better," Ethan said as he tossed the tape to the side.

"Should we get back to it?" Noah asked.

"Yep, let's finish this."

Noah grabbed Zeke's hand again and Ethan lit the lighter under his middle finger. Zeke groaned loudly and grumbled out, "You guys are monsters!"

"Aww… A compliment," Ethan said.

"That's always my favorite one," Noah said.

They continued burning all of Zeke's fingers and the look of pure pain and anger on his face was hard to watch. And if this was the mild torture, I'm afraid to see what else these two psychos have up their sleeves for the next 23 hours.

Once they finished burning his fingers they walked back in front of the camera and said, "Well, that was a fun way to start our first 24-hour live stream. Why don't we kick off a new segment today and start a Q&A. How's that sound?"

"I like that idea… What about you guys?" Ethan asked.

Noah read over the comments and said, "Looks like they enjoy the idea too."

"Okay, our first question is from Dieallhumanity: _How did you all come up with this idea?_ "

"Oh, that's a good question. Do you want to answer it or me?"

"I'll go. We actually came up with this after watching some weird documentary on HBO. I got my friend here to join me and after the first stream was a success, we decided to do it again. It wasn't hard to find our victims, but the real threat is the FBI. We know they're on to us, but we won't stop and they'll never catch us."

While they were distracted by the chatroom and answering them, I looked over to Zeke who was dozing in and out of consciousness. An idea popped into my head, and I figured since they weren't paying attention to us, I could use sign language to relay a message. I was starting to learn sign language in my sign language class in school, because all the other electives were filled, so I had to take that class. We just learned our alphabet recently and I figured it would be worth a try to attract someone's attention. I really hoped aunt Kate and the FBI were watching, but that was a long shot.

* * *

3rd Person

They were watching the stream, and they couldn't believe their eyes as they tortured the other victim they had tied down besides mini Beckett. They knew if this stream was going to last 24 hours, that it was only going to get worse here on out. Castle noticed Emily moving her hand, and said, "Hey, what's Emily doing?"

"I'm not sure… Is she using sign language?" Kate asked as she looked at the screen.

"Looks like it," Ryan said.

"Kenneth, can you zoom in on her hand?" Agent Pierce asked.

"I sure can," he said.

The picture zoomed in on Emily's hand and she went through some letters of the alphabet. They watched her closely and Agent Pierce said, "Do we know anyone who can read sign language?"

Everyone looked around at each other, and I a young man from the FBI stepped up, fixing his glasses and said, "I… I can, sir."

"Nate, you can read sign language?" Agent Pierce asked.

"Yes, I took it in college and I tutored a deaf kid at my school."

"All right, Nate. Interpret what she's spelling out," He turned to Beckett and said, "And Detective, you have a smart kid on your hands."

"Thanks, she definitely is," she said.

Nate started writing down and saying what she was signing, "E-T-H-A-N… Ethan…"

"Ethan? Who's Ethan?" Castle questioned.

"I'm not real sure."

"She's doing more," Nate said and started interpreting her second wave of signing, "E-S-C-O-B-A-R… Escobar."

"Ethan Escobar? Why does that sound familiar?" Esposito said, looking at Beckett with confusion.

"Tony Escobar…" Beckett said with realization.

"The creep who kidnapped and buried Emily?"

"Yeah, Ethan's his son."

"Why did Emily spell out his name?" Ryan asked.

"I have a feeling Ethan is one of those clowns," Castle said.

"That's what it seems like," Kate said to him before turning to Esposito and Ryan, "I need you to find out more about Ethan."

"We're on it," Esposito said.

"I'll get my men on getting any information about him," Agent Pierce said.

"All right," Kate said with a nod.

* * *

Two hours of searching and Esposito and Ryan found some information on Ethan Escobar. They walked up to Beckett and Castle and Esposito said, "We found out Ethan was in California for a school program a year ago."

"Then he went back to school a few months ago, and that was Penn State where Henry Carmichael went," Ryan said.

"So, Ethan is pretty much connected to each case," Beckett said.

"Yep, he seems to tie in with each state," Esposito said.

Agent Pierce made his way over and said, "They're right, my guys uncovered the same information. We contacted a few of his teachers and the program specialist, they said he grew attached to one of the other guys in the program Noah Ormond, and they spent a lot of time together. They even took a trip to Washington state when they were in the program in California."

"That's where two other victims were located," Beckett said.

"Exactly. More than likely Ethan and this Noah fellow, are our main suspects."

"What's our next step?" Castle asked.

"Well, we found out Ethan's mother lives about an hour from here. She might be able to help us," Ryan said.

"Okay, let's go have a chat with Mrs. Escobar," Beckett said before they took off to Mrs. Escobar's residents.

* * *

They got to Mrs. Escobar's house and banged on the door loudly. There was shuffling from inside and a woman asked, "Who is it?"

"NYPD and the FBI," Beckett said.

The door opened, revealing an older lady with short black hair, and she asked, "What do you want?"

"We have reasons to believe that your son is involved with several murders and is in the process of committing two more," Beckett said.

"No, that's not possible. My son is at school and he's a good man."

"Ma'am a kid's life is in danger. Your son is the only lead we have, we need you to help us locate him," Agent Pierce said.

"I… I can't lose him… I already lost my husband to you guys, I can't lose my son too."

Beckett sighed and said to the woman, "I understand Mrs. Escobar, but my niece is in trouble and your son could be behind the whole thing. Do you really want to live with yourself knowing you did nothing to save her or future victims?"

Mrs. Escobar let a tear escape her and said, "I do not want that. But I really don't know where my son is."

"When is the last time you heard from him?"

"A week ago, he said he lost his phone… It was a different number then before. I just thought he was on campus."

"Do you still have that number?"

"Yes, I do."

"Do you remember anything else unusual about the phone call?" Agent Pierce asked.

"He did mention something about revenging his dad sometime soon, and we'll all have closure. I thought he was talking nonsense, but since his dad got put away, he's been kind of out there."

"And that's all you can recall?"

"Yes…"

"Okay, thank you Mrs. Escobar. Once you give us the number we'll be on our way," Beckett said.

"Can you answer me this one thing?"

"Sure…"

"Will I be able to see my son again?"

"I can't answer that, but if things go as planned then you may be able to see your son."

Mrs. Escobar just nodded solemnly, before getting her phone to give the detectives and agents Ethan's new number.

* * *

They got back to the precinct where everyone was still watching the live stream. Agent Pierce walked over to Kenneth and asked, "Kenneth, can you get a location on this phone?"

"I can try, but if it's a prepaid phone, it's going to be hard to pin point an exact location, and it may take a little time to do," he said as he took the number.

"That's fine, we still have 19 hours on the clock. Just try your best."

"Yes, sir. I'll get right on it."

"Did the mother know anything?" Castle asked Beckett.

"Not much, just the weird number and that he was talking about revenge," Kate said.

"So, this wasn't just a planned attack?"

"Apparently not, Emily probably would have wound up there one way or another."

"But the others were random though?"

"More than likely. Just two teens in college, having sick and twisted fun."

"At least we're half way to solving this case and saving mini Beckett."

"Yes, if it wasn't for her quick thinking on using her sign language, I don't think we would have gotten this far so fast."

"She learned that from you."

Kate smiled and said, "I guess she did. I'm really proud of her Castle, and sometimes I don't think she realizes it."

"I think deep down she knows. She's still young, just give her time."

"Yeah, I know."

Castle hugged her close, putting a soft kiss to her temple, before pulling away, making sure no one saw their quick intimacy with each other.

* * *

Emily's POV

It's been hours since the live stream started and things were only getting worse. Zeke had burnt fingers, he had his nails ripped from his skin, and right now, they are extracting a tooth from the poor man's mouth. I think so far, I've been getting the best forms of torture, and that's a weird thing to say, but it's true. The only thing they've done to me so far was put needles in my skin, like a painfuller version of acupuncture.

They finally extracted a tooth from Zeke's mouth and he sit blood onto the floor and a bit on himself. Zeke looked in terrible shape and I felt really bad for him, especially since I'm the one Ethan really wants. All Noah and Ethan did was laugh as they placed the tooth in a metal bowl on their tool table.

"Woo-wee that was hard today. Usually we get those suckers out no problem," Ethan chuckled.

"Yeah, guess this guy's been keeping his teeth healthy," Noah said.

"I bet his dentist would be proud."

They both laughed again and I shook my head at their stupid attempts to be funny. How could anyone be funny while torturing people? I guess only pure psychopaths would know that.

They went back towards the main camera and looked at the monitor. They were silent for a few seconds, until Ethan spoke up, "It looks like everyone is having a good time, and can't wait to see more."

"I can't wait either… Do you think we can bring out the new toy now?" Noah asked.

"Well, I was going to wait until after our halfway point, but why not."

"Yes, are your guys excited?"

"I know I am, but who should we use it on? What do you guys think?"

"I think you should use it on me," I blurted out because I didn't want to see Zeke hurting anymore.

It was probably the stupidest decision ever, because I don't even know what it is, but I'll stay strong, that's what Aunt Kate would want me to do.

"Huh, aren't we a brave young girl. Just volunteering yourself like someone from _The Hunger Games_ ," Ethan said.

"You've hurt him enough… I'm the one you want, so take it out on me."

"This isn't just about you. Don't you get that… You're just small part out of this whole situation, but we won't pass up on the offer. Isn't that right?"

"That's right," Noah said.

"Go grab the thing."

Noah nodded and grabbed the large item he brought in just before the live stream started. He brought it over to my chair and they each grabbed a wire that had a small sticky pad on the end of it. Noah placed one of the sticky pads to my right temple and then Ethan placed it on my opposite one. They grabbed another wire with the same small sticky pads on it and placed them on my forearms. After they finished placing the four wires, they turned back to the camera and Ethan asked, "Do any of you know what this is?"

"I see lots of no's in the chat room," Noah said.

"I'll give you a hint. It can send high or low volts throughout the body."

"Now everyone seems to get it. Goldbarkiller said that we're going to electrocute her with an electrocuting machine."

"Yep, that's pretty much what we'll be doing. And maybe throughout the stream we'll kick it up a notch, since she so desperately wanted to volunteer herself for this new item."

"I think this'll be a blast."

"It'll be electrifying."

Noah laughed and said, "But it could be shocking."

Ethan laughed back and said, "Okay… Why don't we countdown for this monumental moment."

"Sounds good."

They held up five fingers towards the camera and said, "5…4…3…2…1…"

Ethan hit a button on the small remote in his hand, and I felt sharp electric current run threw my body. The pain was minimal at first, but I figured he kicked the voltage up another notch and my body started convulsing involuntarily. My body was twitching everywhere and since I was restrained to the chair with my body, wrist, and ankles, I kept banging into the back of it. I couldn't really register what was going on or much of the pain anymore, but I felt like a ragdoll as I shook violently.

Ethan turned it off and my head slumped down and I could barely even lift it, let alone keep my consciousness. My body and head hurt like heck and my heart felt like it was beating rapidly. I tried to catch my breath and I heard Ethan say, "Wow, that worked better than I thought it would."

"That was cool. It looks like everyone else enjoyed it too," Noah said.

"We'll definitely be doing that again."

"Yeah, definitely."

That was the last thing I heard before I passed out from the extreme electric torture.

* * *

3rd Person POV

Everyone in the tech room, including Captain Gates, who joined them just moments ago, couldn't believe their eyes after watching Emily getting electrocuted. The other things were sick and disgusting, but that moment tugged on everyone's heart strings. The one guy in the bloody clown mask walked over to her, lifting her head by her chin and said, "Aww… Look who's down for the count. I guess we'll have to wait until she wakes up to do some more things to her."

"At least we still have this guy," the other man in the green nosed clown mask said.

Agent Pierce shook his head and said, "Where are you with the phone Kenneth?"

"I'm still working on it… It's not that simple," Kenneth said.

"We don't have much time here. It's only getting worse by the hour."

"I know, I'm going as fast as I can."

Kenneth continued working and Kate said, "They can't possibly keep going higher with the voltage."

"Who knows how many voltages that thing can actually send out," Castle said.

"If they get any higher, Mini B could go into full cardiac arrest," Ryan said.

"We need to get to her before that happens."

"We sure do," Kate said before saying, "I'm going to go grab some coffee."

"I'll come with," Castle said as he followed her towards the break room.

Kate walked into the break room and took a seat on one of the chairs. She placed her head in her hands and let out a soft sob. Castle looked over her, trying to figure out how to comfort his wife at a time like this. This was always hard when Emily was missing, but what was making this even harder, was being able to watch everything that was happening to her and not being able to do anything about it. He walked over to Kate and rubbed her back gently, "She'll be okay. We're so close to finding her."

She looked up at him with teary hazel eyes and said, "What if it's just another dead-end Castle. I could possibly watch my niece die on a live stream. I can't handle that Castle… Not now…"

"It won't be, Kate. This'll work out, it has too. This is important to all of us to find Emily, and I know we will."

"I so want to believe that Castle, but as I watch that clock tick down in there, I'm losing hope each hour we don't have our next lead."

Castle shed a tear and said, "Me too, but we can't give up. Once we give up, it's over."

Kate nodded and said, "I know, I've been there too many times."

It was silent for a bit, before Castle's phone started ringing. He took it out of his jacket pocket and saw it was Alexis.

"I completely forgot to tell Alexis, and my mother," Castle said.

"Answer it, tell them what's going on. I'll make us some coffee," Kate said.

"You sure?"

"Yes, I'll see you in a bit."

"Okay."

He walked into the hall and answered his phone.

"Dad! Are you okay? Your apartment looks like it's been ransacked," Alexis said with worry clear in her voice.

"I'm fine Alexis, but Emily's been kidnapped," he said sadly.

"What? How? Why?"

"The link that's been going around the internet caught up to Emily, and now she's a part of a live broadcast. It's not looking good Alexis."

"Grams and I are coming to the precinct."

"I don't know if that's a good idea… It's hard to watch Emily and this other guy getting tortured."

"We want to be there for Beckett, you, and Emily. We'll be there soon."

"Okay, see you soon."

He hung up his phone and walked into the break room, finding Kate finishing up the two cups of coffee.

"Alexis and my mother are on their way over," Castle said as Kate handed him a cup.

"Do they really want to see this?" she asked.

"No, but they want to be here for support and they love Emily as much as we do. They want to be here for her."

Kate nodded and said, "We should head back to the room, and see what else is going on."

"Okay."

* * *

Emily's POV

I don't know how long I was out for, but when I awoke my head hurt so bad, it felt like a jackhammer was pounding away in there. I looked around the room and found the two crazies gone, but we were still on the live stream.

"They took a break," Zeke mumbled out wearily.

"We hit the 12-hour mark already?" I asked.

"Yup… It's insane how fast time goes…" he coughed roughly before continuing his statement, "while being tortured."

"What did I miss?"

"Not much… Just a lot of pain…"

"I guess that was stupid to ask."

He put on a small smile and said, "It was a genuine question."

I moved my arms in my restraints and tried to see if I could break free. It wasn't working well, but I was going to keep trying, to see if I could loosen it up enough to get out.

"Why would you try that?" Zeke asked.

"Why not? It's the last chance I got. They might be watching out there, but I don't care. I won't' make it out alive anyway, so why not fight for freedom," I said while I was still working on my restraints.

"I see your point."

The door flung open and I looked up to see Ethan come in with his mask on. Even though I couldn't see his face, I figured it was a look of pure anger, knowing I was trying to escape. He walked over to me and grabbed my face roughly and yelled, "What do you think you're doing!?"

"Getting away from you!" I yelled back.

He back handed me hard and I spit blood out onto the floor beside me.

"Don't ever try that again," he said.

"What are you going to do torture me to death… Oh wait, that's what's happening already."

He growled lowly and said, "You want to play that way, okay. Let's see if you can handle our next torture method."

"Fine," I sneered.

Noah had come in while we were busy arguing with each other and Ethan said, "hand me the pliers."

Noah grabbed them and brought them to Ethan, who took them quickly. He looked back at the camera and said, "This is what happens when you can't behave in our torture room."

Noah grabbed my pointer finger and Ethan placed the pliers in the middle of it, before clamping down hard, making the bone snap audibly through the room. I screamed louder than I ever had in my life, the pain was even worse than when I broke my leg while skateboarding. My finger was in an immense amount of pain and I couldn't fight the tears that started spilling down my face. Noah grabbed my next finger and I said, "Please, don't…."

"Oh, now you're pleading with us… I thought you were tougher than that?" Ethan asked.

"I hate you."

"Aww… I hate you too."

He broke my middle finger and I screamed at the searing pain shooting through my two broken fingers. Ethan handed the pliers to Noah and said, "I think we made our point."

"I think we did," Noah said before taking the pliers back to the table.

"But just in case we didn't, why don't we boost that up an extra couple of volts… Maybe fifty more," Ethan said while looking at his clicker.

"Hmm… That sounds good, and we still have more than eleven hours to kick it up more."

"Exactly what I was thinking."

Ethan clicked the button and my body bolted straight up before convulsing like earlier. I could see whites around my eyes and I closed them tightly trying to stay focused on anything but the electrifying pain coursing through my body. I convulsed for what seemed like forever before Ethan stopped it once again. Drool ran down my mouth as I tried to breath, and I felt nothing in my body as I sat there. I felt like I was completely out of it, almost like I was having an out of body experience, but not quite.

"Looks like someone can't handle it like she thought," Ethan said with a chuckle.

"Nope," Noah said with his own chuckle.

"These last hours are going to be fun."

"That they will."

* * *

3rd Person POV

Both of the victims looked like they were in bad shape, and the hours were still counting down, closing in on the last hope of finding them both alive. Alexis and Mrs. Rodgers were now at the precinct, but Castle didn't want them to see the horrible things that were happening to Emily, so they stayed out in the waiting room, waiting for any new updates.

Kenneth jumped up from his seat and said, "I got a basic location. I got it."

Everyone rushed over towards his computer and Agent Pierce asked him, "What's the location?"

"This circle here is east Staten Island, they could be anywhere within that region," Kenneth said as he pointed to the satellite images on his computer.

"That area is empty as far as I know," Esposito said while looking at it.

"Isn't there an old torture room there from back in the 1800's?" Castle questioned.

Everyone stared at Castle with raised brows and he shrugged, "I did some research on it when I was writing one of my Derrick Storm novels."

"I'll go look it up," Ryan said as he ran out of the room.

"Are you sure Castle?" Beckett asked him.

"I'm positive, it's an old stone place, and has several different rooms that were used for torture… I think it's been empty for years now," Castle said.

"Guy's I got something!" Ryan called from the other room.

Everyone went over to Ryan's desk and Beckett asked, "What did you find?"

"Castle is right. It's an old torture building that was used back in the 1800's. It's been empty for fifty years and every time it goes through to be named a historical sight, it gets shot down," Ryan said.

"I guess no one wants a building for torture to be a historical landmark," Esposito said.

"There's about twenty different rooms in the building and it seems easy to find. I think they might be there."

"Okay, everyone let's head out. We have a kid and young man to save," Agent Pierce said.

* * *

Emily's POV

I was losing hope quickly, and as I sat in pain tapped to my chair, all I could do was watch the time count down on the monitor. I was scared, tired, weak, and every inch of my body ached like crazy. Zeke didn't look to hot either, his cheeks were red and puffy, and he had several different places that were coated with dried blood. This might just be the end of us, and it's all because I disobeyed my aunt so many times to count. My curiosity always did get the best of me, and now it came to bite me in the behind.

I had no clue if my aunt even knew if I was here, and if she did, what was running through her mind. Was she angry with me? Was she worried for me? Was she sad? I just wish I could see her again, and Castle, along with his family, my family, and also the precinct. I couldn't stand this agony and wished it would just be over with, whether it was the FBI breaking down this door, or more likely… death.

Ethan and Noah were trying to figure out what to do next, and I hoped it wasn't anything to bad. The past few hours have been filled with terrible torture methods, and the pain scale kept growing from each new one they did.

"Is it time for our little victim to get her next shock?" Noah asked.

I groaned through a sob and Ethan said, "You know, I think it is."

"People seem to like that."

"Yeah, I do too."

Ethan grabbed his remote again and pressed the on button. I cried out in pain as I shook for the fifth time that day. I could barely even feel anything anymore, and I knew that wasn't a good thing, because once you give up hope, it's all over. And as much as I kind of wanted it to just end, there was a part of me that still wanted to fight.

Ethan pressed that awful remote once again, and I had no clue what voltage we were up to, but it hurt even worse than before. I could barely keep consciousness this time around and I didn't even know what was going on around me anymore. It kind of felt like I was in my own bubble and everything was slowing down around me. It stopped once again, and I faintly heard the two guys laughing at my pain.

I felt like my body was shutting down, and I figured that Ethan Escobar was going to stick to his word that he'd get revenge for his father. I heard a commotion coming from the other room, and I tried to lift my head to make more sense of it all. Noah and Ethan were looking at each other and Ethan said, "Dude, go check it out."

Noah went to the door and opened it, but as soon as he got it opened guns were drawn on him and he put his hands up in surrender. Ethan quickly went over to me and put a sharp blade to my neck, I was still on the verge of losing consciousness, but I could still understand what was happening around me. The FBI and Aunt Kate came into the room with their guns drawn and Aunt Kate said, "Ethan Escobar, drop your weapon."

"Why should I? I'm already going to jail for the rest of my life, probably getting the chair too. What's one more going to do?" Ethan said.

"Ethan Escobar, we're warning you," Agent Pierce said.

"I have to do this for my dad. You all took him away from me and now you're going to pay," Ethan said while digging the blade further into my skin, making it bleed.

A shot rang out in the room and the knife Ethan had, clattered to the floor and he cried out in pain. I looked over my shoulder to see Ethan holding his left shoulder, blood leaking onto his hand. My face was grabbed softly and was brought up to see my aunt's eyes looking worriedly at me.

"Em, are you okay?" she asked.

I smiled tiredly and said, "Now that you're here… But I'm so tired aunt Kate."

My eyes started getting heavy and my aunt said, "Hey, hey… Try to stay awake for me, okay?"

"I'm sorry aunt Kate… I should have listened."

"It's fine, Em. It could have happened anyway."

I started losing consciousness and I heard my aunt calling out to me, but I couldn't stay awake any longer, everything that happened to me in the last 18 hours were rough and were finally taking its toll.

* * *

My eye's cracked opened, and I let out a little yawn as I awoke from my slumber. I could smell the antiseptic in the air and I knew that I was in the hospital, which was great, because I wasn't dead nor strapped to the uncomfortable chair in that crazy torture room. I looked around and found that it was empty, besides all the machines and medical equipment that was surrounding me. I looked at my right hand and saw my two broken fingers were nestled nicely in a cast and I knew I was probably slightly sedated since I didn't feel much pain from my many bruises and cuts that I knew I had throughout my body.

I heard my door open and I saw aunt Kate walk in with Castle by her side. They were talking lowly to each other, probably thinking I was still under, and I smiled softly knowing that I'd get to see my family once again. They walked over to my bed and they both smiled at me, noticing that I was awake.

"Em, are you okay?" my aunt asked.

"Yeah, I'm okay. How did you guys find us?" I asked.

"It was all thanks to you Emily, and your smart thinking of doing sign language."

"So, you were watching… I was hoping you guys were."

"Yep, and once we got Ethan's name, we took it from there. I'm just happy to have you here Em."

"Me too. So, what happened to Ethan and Noah?" I asked.

"Well, Ethan was treated for his gunshot wound and then got escorted to prison, along with Noah and their accomplice Victor."

"The guy in the hockey mask?"

"Yep, that was Victor."

"We're you all scared watching the live stream?"

"We were very worried for you Em. We all were."

"Yeah, watching you get electrocuted had to be the hardest on all of us," Castle said.

"Well, it was hard to take too," I said with a light laugh.

They smiled softly and Aunt Kate said, "I bet it was, but you stayed strong."

"I learned I had to stay strong from you Aunt Kate."

She smiled and said, "I'm glad to hear that."

"Is Zeke okay?" I asked.

"Yes, Zeke is stable. He had to get some surgery and was in worse condition then you were, but he'll be fine."

"Can I see him?"

"Sure… I think you can go see him. Let the doctor check you out first and then we'll go visit him."

"All right."

* * *

The doctor checked me out and said that I was healing well and thankfully all the times I got electrocuted, it didn't do any serious damage. Most of my cuts and bruises were healing nicely and the worst injury I had were my two broken fingers, but I could deal with that because I've had tons of broken bones before, so it wouldn't be hard to handle.

Once she was done, we got the okay to go visit Zeke in his room and when we got there, he was actually awake and smiled at me as Castle pushed my wheelchair up to his bedside.

"Hi, Zeke. I'm glad to see that you're okay," I said.

"Glad to see you're okay too Em. I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for you," he said.

"It was nothing, and if the FBI and the 12th precinct didn't do what they do best, we could have been goners."

"Well, I thank them and you."

"It was my pleasure. It was nice meeting you Zeke, even though it was during an awful situation."

He chuckled softly and said, "Same to you Emily. You're going to be something special someday, I know it."

I smiled and said, "Bye Zeke."

"Bye Emily."

Castle started pushing me back to my room, my aunt walking next to us and Castle said, "So mini Beckett, think you'll be looking up any random links again."

"No, I think I'm good. Plus, I think I broke my computer," I said.

"That you did, but I know a guy who'll fix it as good as new."

"Thanks Castle… I'm really glad to be alive, and to have an awesome family like you guys."

"We are too, Em. We are too," Aunt Kate said.


	64. Chapter 64

AN: Thank's to everyone for following, favoriting, and reviewing this story. Here's the next chapter everybody, enjoy. Don't forget to Review. :)

Disclaimer: I do not own Castle or it's characters.

* * *

Now you know my ABC's

It's been a while since the whole torture incident happened, and I was feeling good enough to go back to school. I was still riddled with bruises and scratches, but they were slowly fading away. When I got to school this morning, I was greeted with a lot of stares and class mates who wanted to know every detail of my torture room experience.

My fingers were still wrapped up in my cast, but thankfully it was my left hand, so I was still able to write and do my work. Mike ran up to me and said, "Emmy! You're back."

I gave him a quick hug and said, "Yep, I am. Did I miss anything?"

"No, not a thing. You're usually the one to make everything interesting anyway."

"I do tend to do that."

He chuckled and said, "You sure do. Would you like me to help you with your stuff?"

"No, that's okay. I can handle it, but thanks."

"That's what boyfriends are for, at least that's what my brother tells me."

"How is Leon anyway?"

"Fine, he's still dating his girlfriend and skipping school. And he wanted me to let you know that he was worried about you."

"That's cool. I should hang out with you guys again sometime soon."

"Yeah, I don't know how long Leon will be around because he's barely home anymore, but I'll let him know."

"Cool."

The bell rung and Mike said, "I guess it's time for class."

"Yep… Something I didn't miss."

He laughed and we made our way into our classroom. We all took a seat at our designated desks, and the teacher stood at the head of class.

"Good morning everyone. Glad to see you back Miss Beckett," she said to me.

I nodded with an awkward smile and she said, "We have a lot of work today, but first I want to tell you about an assignment I created this weekend."

Everyone groaned at the mention of an assignment. It would be my luck to come back to school when we get a new assignment to do. She chuckled and said, "Now, now… It's nothing hard. I know you have other classes to do work in, but I made it simple and fun. We all know our ABC's, right?'

A boy in the back spoke up and said, "I don't think we'd be here if we didn't."

Everyone laughed and our teacher said, "All right, all right… Settle down. You're right Toby, everyone in here should know their basic alphabet. But the twist is, can you guys make up your own alphabet?"

"What do you mean?" a girl asked.

"For example, A is for apple… How might that resonate with you? Or A is for Art… I like art so I'd say, A is for Art, which is my favorite past time when I don't have any work to do."

"Then you'd go on to B?" Mike asked.

"Precisely Mike. B is for Ballerina, which is what I wanted to be when I grew up before I hurt my Achilles tendon. And then you'd go on to C, and so on and so forth…"

"So, we have to make up our own alphabet and kind of explain our personal lives?" I asked.

"Exactly. Each of you will go from A to Z, explaining a word that pertains to your life somehow. Does that sound good?"

Everyone mumbled with nods of their heads, and she said, "Okay, I'm giving you all until Friday to have it done, and you'll present them to the class."

The room filled with groans once again and the teacher finished off by saying, "I know, you guys hate presenting, but it'll be fun, I promise. Now let's get started with what we need to get done today before the class change."

* * *

School was eventually over and I went home to work on this ABC assignment we had to do. When I walked into the loft, I found Castle drinking some coffee and reading the newspaper on the couch. I decided to join him, and plopped down next to him with a sigh.

"How was your first day back Mini Beckett?" Castle asked as he looked over at me.

I shrugged my shoulders and said, "Fine… It was just the same old, same old. We did get an assignment from our English teacher though."

"What kind of assignment?"

"We have to make our own version of the ABC's and mesh it into words that coincide with our own lives."

"Wow, that sounds interesting. Do you have any ideas?"

"Not really… There are so many words I can use with each letter. It's just picking the right one."

"Yeah, I understand."

"What would you do for letters A, B, and C?"

Castle rubbed his chin and said, "Hmm… Not really sure. Maybe A for Articulate, B for Brilliant, and C for Casual."

"I'm pretty sure you're none of those things."

"Hey… I am definitely all three of those things."

"Sure, Uncle Rick, let's go with that."

"What would you choose for me then?"

"A for Adventurous, B for Bizarre, and C for Childish."

"I am none of those things… Well maybe adventurous, but that's about it."

"I'm pretty sure you're all three off those things Castle."

"All three of what things?" My aunt asked as she came into the loft.

"Emily has an assignment to do and she has to make her own version of the ABC's and mesh it into words that coincide with her life. So, she asked what I would use for A, B, and C, in my own life," Castle replied.

"And…"

"I said, A is for Articulate, B is for Brilliant, and C is for Casual, but she didn't agree."

"Yeah, I'll have to agree with Emily on that one. You are none of those things."

"Really, I'm all of those things. And they're better than the words she gave me."

Aunt Kate took a seat next to me and asked, "What words did you give him?"

"A for Adventurous, B for Bizarre, and C for Childish," I said to her.

"Those do sound more up your alley."

"Oh, come on… You know what fine. How about you Kate?" Castle asked.

"Me?"

He nodded and I said, "Yeah, what would yours be?"

She thought for a second before saying, "Well, I think I'd use A for Admirable, B for Brave, and C for Clever."

"I think that's right."

"Wait, you agree with hers?" Castle asked flabbergasted.

"Yeah, she's a detective and is very brave and clever. And she definitely is admirable, to me anyway."

"All right, yeah… I can see that… But I'll show you two that I'm anything but the words you gave me."

Castle went to his study and I looked at Aunt Kate and said, "He's going to be going on about this the whole week, isn't he?"

She groaned and said, "Yeah, I think so. I think I'm going to work some overtime this week."

"Don't leave me here with him. He's going to drive me nuts about what his ABC's are."

"You're the one who asked for help on the assignment. So, have fun with Mr. Adventurous, Bizarre, and Childish."

"I can still hear you two you know," he said as he popped his head into the living room.

We chuckled at him and I went upstairs to do my homework for my other classes, and to try and think about my English assignment.

* * *

The week went by fast, too fast if you ask me. Of course, Uncle Rick kept trying to come up with new words for his ABC's and to desperately prove to us that he is every single one of them. It was hilarious and eventful, but we all agreed to give into Castle's theories to why he's every word he picked out, so we didn't have to hear about it for another week or month.

But it was my paper that was going to be graded on, and I was having a hard time figuring out how every word I chose pertained to my life. I have no clue if my paper even makes sense, and has the correct words to explain my life, but today was the day to present, and in a sense I was ready, but my nerves were on fire.

Mike sat next to me in class and said, "Emmy, are you ready for our presentations today?"

"My papers done, but am I ready to present it, no not really," I said as I placed my head in my hand that was leaning on my desk.

"Yeah, me either. I was having a hard time with X, Y, and Z, but I think I put some fitting words there."

"X, Y, and Z are always the hardest. There's not enough words to fit them, especially when you're looking for one in particular that coincides with your life."

"Uh-huh… I went with zesty for Z because I can be very zesty."

"That you can."

He chuckled, and the bell rung for class to get started. Our teacher stood by the white board and said, "Good morning class, is everyone ready to present?"

"No…" everyone grumbled loudly.

"Oh, come on now. It'll be fun. Who'd like to go first?"

Everyone looked around, waiting for someone to volunteer themselves to be the first victim of the dreadful presentation. No one raised their hand to go up, so the teacher said, "Okay, I guess I'll pick then. Winston, why don't you go first?"

"Aww, do I have too," Winston cried from the back of the room.

"Yes, if you want full credit."

"Fine."

He stood up with his paper firmly in his hand and started telling us about his ABC's. Once he was through, we all gave him a big round of applause, before the next person was due up.

About five people went up so far, and that's when I was called to take my turn. I got up with a sigh, brining my paper with me, so I could present it to the class. I gripped my paper tight with my right hand and my teacher said, "Go ahead Emily."

"Okay," I said with a nod.

I cleared my throat softly before I began reading off of my paper:

" _A is for Apples which is my uncle, Richard Castle's, safe word. I don't know what a safe word is and I don't think I want to know._

 _B is for Bananas which is apparently what Castle and I drive my aunt Kate every day._

 _C is for Carefree which is what Castle and I are. We always seem to be doing something completely carefree and getting into tons of trouble. But it's usually worth it._

 _D is for Danger which is what we all seem to face every day. Being on the force and being linked to it seems to put us all in the line of danger every day. It can be interesting, but that doesn't mean I'm not the least bit scared every time I walk out of the apartment._

 _E is for Energy which is what aunt Kate would say I have too much of. But I say I have just the right amount to boost everyone's mood each day, even my own._

 _F is for Fun which I always have with Castle. Not that I don't have it with everyone else in my life, including aunt Kate, but Castle and I seem to have a close bond. It could be because he acts half his age, but I'm not complaining._

 _G is for Grave, which is what I found myself in a couple of years ago. Believe me, being six feet under isn't very fun._

 _H is for Horrific, which is everything that ever happened to me over the past 4 years. There were definitely plenty of horrific times, including my mom dying, my numerous amounts of close calls with death, and a whole bunch more. At least I have Castle and my aunt Kate, or things would have been a lot harder to get through._

 _I is for Interrogation, which is what my aunt does at her job almost every day. I had the pleasure of being interrogated by my aunt Kate, and let's just say she's definitely more intimidating when you're on the opposite side of the table._

 _J is for Justice, which is what my aunt and the 12th precinct try hard to get every time they have a case. They don't always get the justice they are seeking, but they don't let it get them down, and they make sure they try harder for the next case._

 _K is for Killers, which I have met several. Some of them seem perfectly normal and some...not so much. I may have had to stare into some of their cold dark eyes when I was kidnapped, but it helped me remember what they truly are, cold blooded killers._

 _L is for Lucky, which is what I truly am. If I didn't have any luck on my side who knows what would have become of me over the past four years. Hopefully it doesn't run out anytime soon._

 _M is for Marriage, which is what my Aunt Kate and Castle did back in November. I was happy that they finally tied the knot, and I hope it will last forever._

 _N is for Novelist, which is what my Uncle is for a living, among other things nowadays. He's written dozens of bestselling novels, from Derick Storm to Nikki Heat, and the best part is, my Aunt Kate was his inspiration for Nikki Heat. I have awesome connections._

 _O is for Ordinary, which my life is far from. Since I was born my life hasn't been ordinary, it's been one crazy roller coaster ride, but I wouldn't change it for the world because in a way, I love it._

 _P is for private investigator, which is Castle's new line of work. It's mostly to gain inspiration for his books, now that he can't tag along with my Aunt Kate and the 12th precinct, but I have a feeling he's getting invested in it. It's great though, because now he doesn't mope around as much when Aunt Kate's busy with her cases._

 _Q is for quest, which seems like I'm on every day. There's always something new to do and it always leads to one big quest that we have to figure out. It definitely makes life more entertaining, not that my life isn't already._

 _R is for Rock, which is my favorite kind of music. I can even play an electric guitar and lay out some sick shreds. If my main profession doesn't work out for me, then I'll definitely start an awesome rock band and tour around the world._

 _S is for Smart, which my aunt tells me I am indeed. Sure, I don't seem to use to much of my smarts when put in certain predicaments, but I can usually figure things out pretty quickly. Now only if I was smart enough to finish this assignment quicker._

 _T is for Trauma, because I've had so much trauma in my life it's hard to keep up with. At least I have my aunt Kate to help me through it, and she even has her own trauma to deal with, but as long as we have each other, we'll get through it._

 _U is for Understanding, because without it, life would be a complete wreck. This shouldn't just be in my ABC's, but everyone's because everyone needs a little understanding in their life. Whether it's someone understanding you or you understanding them, it helps make the world go 'round._

 _V is for Valiant, which I would say that I am. I've done a lot of courageous things in my life, I took a needle to the eye and tracked down crazy killers who've tried to kill me. I'd think this word fits me pretty well._

 _W is for Wicked, which is what every criminal that I came across is. They seem to have some wicked tendency's and I just happened to get caught up in some of the wicked plans running through their minds._

 _X is for Xenomorph, which is an awesome Alien creature from the Alien film series that my uncle let me watch once. I was going to put xylophone, but I thought that'd be to generic, so I went with something cooler._

 _Y is for Yearning, which is a strong feeling I used to have when I was younger. I really wanted to have a family and be happy with my life, and now I finally have it. Now I'm mostly yearning for a dog, but I don't think my aunt and uncle will concede to that._

 _Z is for Zombies, which was a great case that my aunt and Castle worked on a while back. Sadly, the Zombies weren't real, and they were just a bunch of role-players, but it was still awesome."_

I looked up from my paper when I was done, and everyone's mouths were wide open in astonishment. I furrowed my brows and asked, "Was it that bad?"

"No, it was…great Emily. Isn't that right class?" my teacher asked as she patted my shoulder softly.

Everyone clapped slowly as I took my seat next to Mike. I looked over at him as someone else went up to present and asked quietly, "Was it bad?"

"No, I think everyone's just confused at you're…unique life," Mike said with a shrug.

"I guess so…"

We continued watching the rest of the presenters and by the time they all finished up, it was time for our next class.

* * *

I got home from school and found Aunt Kate and Castle in the kitchen making some lunch and chatting with each other. I sat at the kitchen isle and my aunt asked me, "How'd the presentation go, Em?"

"Oh yeah, that was today. How did it go mini Becket?" Castle asked.

"Well, I got an A. The only thing is, everyone looked at me like I was crazy," I said.

"I bet it wasn't that bad."

"Oh, it was bad."

"They just don't know what you've been through," my aunt said.

"I guess you're right."

"You know, let us hear it. We'll be the judge of it," Castle said with a small smile of encouragement.

"All right," I said as I took out my paper from my backpack, which was laying in the chair next to me.

I read the whole paper to my aunt and uncle, and when I was finished their faces looked just like my classmates and teacher.

"So… I'm assuming it's bad," I said.

"Uh, no… It's good, but maybe some of your words should have been different," Castle said.

"Like what?"

"Maybe, the first one for example," my aunt suggested.

I read over what I had down for A and said, "I couldn't think of anything else, and Castle used to always mention his safe word… What is a safe word anyway?"

Castle blushed a bright red and stuttered, "Um… Well, you'll uh…"

"You'll learn about it when your 40," Aunt Kate interjected.

"Aww, 40…" I whined.

"Yes, Em."

"Fine… But other than that, was it that bad?"

They looked at each other before looking back at me and Aunt Kate said, "No, I just think it's hard for everyone to hear what you've been through."

"I tried to make it light hearted," I said with a huff.

They chuckled and Castle said, "That you did. Maybe they were all just jealous because you have an interesting life and amazing writing skills."

"An interesting life, yes. Amazing writing skills, not so much."

They laughed once again and he said, "All right, maybe that's a stretch, but you still got an A on it."

"Yeah, that's pretty good."

"Yes, it is. Why don't we all go out for lunch and celebrate a job well done?" my aunt suggested.

"Sounds good to me. How about you mini Beckett?" Castle asked me.

"Sounds like fun," I said with a smile.

"All right, let's go celebrate, and maybe get some apples… Speaking of them made me crave one."

"Castle," we groaned as we headed for the door.

"What, I was just saying… So, that's definitely a no on the apples?"

We shook our heads with a chuckle as we walked passed Castle and out the door, heading into town to have a special celebratory lunch.


	65. Chapter 65

AN: Thank's to everyone for following, favoriting, and reviewing this story. Here's the next chapter everybody, enjoy. Don't forget to Review. :)

Disclaimer: I do not own Castle or it's characters.

* * *

An Eventful Staycation

It was late afternoon, and I was sitting on the couch while finishing up one of the many worksheets I received that day. Castle was in his office, trying to work on his next book, but he's been having a ton of writers block lately. As I was marking down one of the answers, the home phone started to ring. I reached towards the table it was resting on, and answered with a simple, "Hello."

"Hello, this is Rocky Smith from KVZ 99.9 The Jam. Is this Kate Beckett?" the man from the radio station asked.

"No, I'm her niece," I said.

"Is she there?"

"Not at the moment. She's still working."

"Is there an adult I can speak with?"

"Sure, I'll go get my uncle."

I ran towards Castle's office and knocked on the door.

"Come in mini Beckett," I heard him say.

I opened the door and ran towards his desk with a big smile gracing my face.

"What?" Castle questioned with worry.

"Rocky Smith from KVZ 99.9 The Jam is on the phone," I said, placing the phone on speaker.

Castle looked at me with a raised brow, not sure what was going on, and spoke to the man on the phone, "Hello, this is Richard Castle."

"The author?" Rocky asked.

"Yes, the author."

"Well Mr. Castle, we have some good news for you and your family."

"What is it?"

"Kate Beckett signed up for a sweepstakes we were having and she is our big winner."

"She did?"

"Yep… So, you and three family members will be staying at the new five-star hotel called The Shamrock, which just opened last week. You'll have a fun four day, three-night stay at the hotel, and free room service, including four tickets to go see the new off-Broadway show, Dark Rooms."

"Wow, um… Okay."

"Have Kate Beckett call us in the next 48 hours to claim her prize, or we'll have to pick another winner. Have her call this number, 555-999-5454, and they'll give you more information."

"Yes, I'll relay the message to her."

"All right, Mr. Castle. Congratulations and thanks for participating. This is Rocky Smith, over and out."

Rocky hung up, and Castle followed suit by hanging up, and placing the house phone on his desk. Castle looked at me and asked, "Emily, did you enter that contest?"

I placed my hands in my pocket with a sly smile and said, "Maybe…"

"That hotel is literally a block away and I heard Dark Rooms was going to be a flop."

"Come on Castle, I thought it would be fun. Just a nice family staycation for us to do. And it's free, no one turns down free things."

"Why couldn't it be a trip to Bora Bora, or something?"

I shrugged and said, "I don't know. But it's going to be fun, and we're still in the comfort of our own backyard. So, please…"

Castle rolled his eyes with a sigh and said, "Fine, but we're going to talk to your aunt about this. She is the winner after all."

"Yes! This is going to be an awesome weekend."

I gave Castle a large hug before I ran back to the living room to finish my homework and to think about our staycation.

* * *

Aunt Kate came home around dinner time and I wasted no time to ask her if we could go to The Shamrock and have a staycation.

"Aunt Kate, you won a sweepstakes that I entered you in and we can stay at the new hotel, The Shamrock, and we'll get tickets to a new off-Broadway show… and... and it'll be epic! Please can we go? Please…." I said as I stood in front of her with my hands clamped together in a pleading fashion.

"You entered me in a sweepstakes without my consent?" She asked me.

"Um, well yeah… But that doesn't matter now, you won… And we should except it."

"Emily…"

"Come on… I'm sorry that I entered you into a random sweepstakes without your permission, but my favorite radio station kept advertising it and I thought that it couldn't hurt if I just entered. So, please…Can we go?"

She looked over at Castle in the kitchen, and he gave her a shrug and said, "Don't look at me. I just found out about this myself."

She sighed and looked back down at me. I could see her think for a moment and I raised a brow in suspense, wondering if she was going to say yes or no.

She sighed once more before she said, "It could be fun and I do have this weekend off. But next time, ask me before entering my name into anything."

I gave her a huge hug and said, "I won't… This is going to be fun."

"Yeah, I guess it will."

I ran towards the table where Castle placed the number and then I ran back to Aunt Kate to give it to her. I handed it over and said, "That's the number to call to confirm your winnings. You must call them back in 48 hours or you forfeit the prize."

"Okay, I'll try to give them a call tomorrow."

"Awesome."

"And since it's a family staycation for four, I'll see if Alexis will like to come along, since mother will be away for the weekend," Castle spoke up.

"That sounds nice," Aunt Kate said.

* * *

Aunt Kate called them the next day, and confirmed that she would take the prize and worked out the whole schedule with them. The rest of the week went by in a blur since I was so excited about this whole staycation. And we even got Alexis to come with. It was going to be great, even though we'll be literally a block away from where we live, I just feel that since it's technically a "vacation", the whole atmosphere will be different.

So, we got to The Shamrock hotel, and as soon as we walked in my eyes lit up with wonder. Everything was so shiny and extravagant, I couldn't believe how beautiful it all was, and that was just the lobby. I couldn't wait to see what our room looked like. We walked up to the front desk, and the hotel desk clerk, with the nametag of Nick, said, "Hello, how may I help you today?"

"Hi, there should be a reservation under Beckett, Kate," my aunt said.

"Ah, one moment please," he typed away at his computer before he spoke up again, "I have your reservation right here, Ms. Beckett. It looks like you and your family will be staying in our mini suite. It has two small bedrooms and a master bedroom, along with a main bathroom and a master bathroom. Is that all right?"

"Yes, that sounds great."

"Okay, I'll go grab your four room keys and the packet that the radio station dropped off."

"Thanks."

He walked off to the back and I looked around the lobby some more. There was a cute older couple sitting on some large comfy chairs by the stairs towards the entrance, then there was a man in his thirties on the phone by one of the many polished egg shelled pillars, and there was a young couple smooching away by the elevators. It seemed that a whole bunch of different people were staying here this weekend, and it should be fun getting to know some of them throughout our stay. Nick came back and said, "Here you are. Four room keys to room 2021, and the package from the radio station. If I may remind you, room service is free and we also have a complimentary spa treatment if you'd like to attend. Do you have any questions?"

"No, I think that's it. Thank you, sir," my aunt said as she grabbed the items from the counter.

"Okay, have a lovely stay and if you have any questions, our staff members are here to help."

We all nodded towards the man and headed towards the elevator. The door was still open, so we all piled in along with a man wearing a black jacket, grey jeans, a black trucker cap, and dark brown boots. He hit number twenty and Castle said, "That's where we're going."

"Hmm," the man grumbled.

Castle raised a brow as we all fell into an awkward silence. As soon as we reached our floor and the doors opened, the man in the jacket stalked off to his room quickly and I said, "Well, he was creepy."

"Emily…" my aunt said with a warning tone.

"What!? He was… Didn't he give you a serial killer vibe, I mean you are a detective."

"Just because he gives me the creeps, doesn't mean he's a criminal. Everyone has their rough days and awkwardness about them."

"Yeah, I guess so. He still didn't give me good vibes."

"Come on mini Beckett, we're supposed to have a fun weekend. We're not sniffing out potential murders," Castle said as he carried our bags to the room.

"He's right, Emily. This is supposed to be fun, we don't want to get into any trouble," Alexis said.

"Okay," I said.

We went into our mini suite, and it was huge. It had a nice spacious living room, a small kitchen, and a huge flat screen TV. I ran to the first room I found and jumped on the large, comfy, bed that was covered in a fluffy tan comforter. Castle came in still lugging our luggage and dropped my small suitcase on the floor. He looked around with a small nod and said, "This is a nice room."

"Yeah, it's so nice. And my TV is way bigger than the one in my room at home and I have an awesome window view of the city," I said.

"Looks cool. I'm going to drop the rest of the luggage off, and check out Kate and I's room."

"Okay."

He left my room and I got off the bed to look out the window. I could see all the high-rise buildings and the city streets below. It was pretty high up, I mean we are on the twentieth floor, so everyone looked like ants and the cars looked like toys. Alexis stood beside me and said, "Wow, what a view."

"I know, it looks crazy from up here," I mumbled as I pressed my face to the glass.

"It sure does."

"So, what's up?"

"We were going to order dinner; do you want to come see the dinner menu?"

"Yeah, sounds good."

I followed Alexis out to the living room to discuss dinner, and I was excited to spend the weekend in this awesome hotel.

* * *

It was our first night in our hotel room, and I couldn't fall asleep because it was raining cats and dogs outside. It's been a steady down pour since we've gotten dinner and it wasn't letting up. As the lightning flashed and the thunder boomed, I tossed and turned in my bed with annoyance. I really hoped the storm would end by tomorrow morning, so we could go do some things outside, but we may be cooped up in here for the whole weekend, except for when we go to the off-Broadway show on Sunday.

I knew I wasn't going to fall asleep any time soon, so I sat up and turned my television on. I made sure to keep the volume low, so I didn't disturb anyone else's slumber. The meteorologist from our local news station came on, and I listened to what he had to say, "Good evening folks, if your joining me tonight than you must be up because of the awful weather we're having."

"It's terrible out there Jim," the female news anchor said.

Jim laughed and said, "It sure is Kelsey, and I have some bad news, this front that's pushing its way down, is bringing a whole bunch of nasty weather with it, so it looks like this weekend is going to be a washout. Sorry for all you folks out there who wanted to go out and enjoy some beautiful sunshine. We'll see what's in store for next week, so let's take a look at our seven-day outlook, and come back after a look at our sponsors."

I shut the TV off and flopped back down in my bed with an aggravated sigh. Whenever we get to do something fun, it's either washed-out, halted by murder, or both. It's not all the time, but it still feels like we have more bad times than good times on vacation, and that stinks.

The thunder boomed loudly once again, and since I was in deep thought, it made me jump with a fright. Since I still couldn't fall asleep, I walked over towards my window and looked outside at the pouring rain. I couldn't see much because it was pretty dark out except for a few lights that were on here and there across the way. I could barely make those out though because of the immense amount of rain on my window and the blinding flashes of lightening that went by every few seconds.

I looked around some more and I caught a glimpse of a pink, silky, thing, flying through the air. I watched it float past my window and I made out that it was a woman's dress. I thought it was strange, but maybe someone had it out on their balcony and forgot to take it in before the storm started. But then another dress flew past my window, and then another, and then some other articles of clothing went past. I found it strange that someone was dumping their clothes over the side of the building, in the middle of the night, and in the pouring down rain, but if there is one thing I've learned, people are crazy.

I was about to leave the window, and try to fall sleep again, but a female scream stopped me in my tracks. I squinted out my window and saw a female falling past at a high rate of speed. I shook my head in disbelief at what I just witnessed and ran to Alexis's room. She was sleeping peacefully, but I quickly ruined it by putting a hand on her shoulder and shaking her awake.

"ALEXIS! WAKE UP!" I yelled with panic.

Alexis sat up with worry and said, "What's wrong Em, are you okay?"

"Someone fell!"

Alexis's door burst open and Castle came in, holding a shoe in his hand, and Aunt Kate stood next to him looking tired, but she still seemed alert. They looked around the room and my aunt said, "What happened?"

"Is there someone in here?" Castle asked with a shoe at the ready.

"No… What's a shoe going to do anyway?" I asked.

"A shoe can be used as a weapon. You just have to be good at it like me."

Castle tried to show off with a fancy move, but the shoe wound up flying out of his hand and hitting a dresser in the corner. We shook our heads at him and Alexis spoke up, "We're fine… Emily just barged in and told me that she saw a lady fall from the building."

"Are you sure you weren't dreaming?" my aunt asked me.

"I'm positive. I couldn't fall asleep, so I watched the weatherman on the news and then after I turned the TV off, I looked out the window and watched the rain. I saw a few pieces of clothing fly by first, and then I heard a woman scream, and then I saw her body go past my window," I said.

"Are you sure?" Castle asked with seriousness.

"Yes, I know what I heard and saw."

"Why don't we head downstairs and see if anyone else noticed this?" Aunt Kate suggested.

"All right," Castle said.

We went down in our nighties and robes, but we had sneakers on just in case we had to go outside to prove what I saw. When we got to the lobby there were several different people at the front desk and walking around with worry on their faces. Castle turned to the man near us and asked, "What's going on?"

"Didn't you hear? Some broad from room 2100 fell from her balcony. I'm supposed to be up in three hours for a presentation, but now I have to deal with this," the man said with a huff before he walked to the front desk.

"See I told you," I said.

"Yes, Em. You were right," my aunt said.

"Do you think she jumped?" Alexis wondered out loud.

"Hmm… I don't know. Hopefully it wasn't foul play, but they're both pretty depressing," Castle said.

"Yeah, and hopefully we don't have a murderer in the hotel. We don't need that this weekend," Aunt Kate sighed.

"Beckett!" Ryan called out as he made his way over to us with Esposito.

"Hey guys, any ideas on this dead girl?"

"Well nothing yet. We know her name is Dina Smythe and she was staying in room 2100 for a couple of days while in town for business."

"So, it could be a homicide?" Castle asked.

"We don't know yet. We're about to check her room to see if there are any signs of a struggle," Esposito said.

"I'll meet you guys up there," Aunt Kate said.

They nodded and headed towards the elevators to go up to the twenty-first floor.

"You're going to work?" Castle asked my aunt.

"I'm just going to check it out. They might need my help," she said.

"Okay, I guess we should head back up to our room."

We all agreed and went back up to our room.

* * *

We were up in our mini suite and aunt Kate left as soon she got ready, leaving the three of us alone. I decided to go back to my room and get changed myself. I wanted to see if the body was still down by the entrance, and I also wanted to snoop out some clues.

I walked out of my room and headed towards the door when Castle stopped me, "Where are you going?"

"To see the body and snoop out some clues," I said with a shrug.

"I don't think so mini Beckett. It's almost four in the morning and we need our sleep."

"Come on uncle Rick, don't you want to see the body and find out what's going on?"

"Well... I mean… No…"

I raised a brow at him and asked, "You're not the least bit curious…?"

"Of course I am, but we shouldn't."

"Aunt Kate's not going to know as long as we get back before she does. And since when do we do what we're told?"

Alexis came out of her room and saw us standing there. She gave us a serious face and asked, "You're not planning on snooping around, are you?"

"I'll admit it, I totally am. I don't know about Castle… I'll be back before you know it, and don't tell my aunt," I said as I left the hotel room.

I went to the elevator and looked around our floor as I waited for the elevator to arrive. It was pretty silent and there was no signs of life, so I figured everyone was asleep or still in the lobby trying to get answers. The elevator finally arrived and I took it down to the lobby. I walked outside of the hotel and there was a small crowd out there, but since it was 4 in the morning, there wasn't as many people as usual at the crime scene. It was still raining, so I made sure my hoodie was up so I didn't get wet, and pushed myself through the small crowd. Once I made it to the front, I was greeted by a long strip of crime scene tape. I looked passed it and found Lanie under a blue tarp, keeping her from the rain and the body was already under a white sheet. They were loading her up on the stretcher and getting ready to take her to the morgue.

Lanie saw me, and I watched her heave a big sigh as she made her way over. She looked down at me and asked sternly, "Shouldn't you be upstairs and in bed?"

"I wanted to see the dead girl, but I see I missed that, so now I'm going to have a look around for clues," I said.

"Emily, does Kate know your down here?"

"Uh… No. But Castle does and Alexis, so that should be good."

"Emily, go back to your room before you get in trouble."

"Fine, but was there any signs if a struggle… Foul play?"

"I'm not discussing that with you, it's an open investigation. Now go upstairs before I call your aunt."

"Okay, okay… See you later Lanie."

"Yeah, Yeah…"

I smiled at her and walked back through the crowd and into the hotel. Of course I wasn't going to go back to my room, so I went over to the cute older couple who were still sitting in the same spot when we checked in.

"Hi, I'm Emily Beckett. I'd like to ask you a few questions if that's okay?" I asked them.

The older gentleman raised a brow at me and asked, "What is it kid?"

"Were you guys here all night? I saw you sitting here this afternoon too."

The woman spoke up this time and said, "We're always here. This is our little spot. We come up here every weekend and sit here to read the paper or magazines. We don't sleep much anymore, so we usually relax down here instead of being cooped up in a room all day, and we go out occasionally."

"The hotel has only been open for two weeks."

"I know that dear. We used to stay at another hotel before this one, but we enjoy this one much more. Last weekend, the grand opening was exquisite, and we even stayed an extra day. So, we kind of claimed this spot."

"Oh… So, if you were here most of the time, did you happen to notice anything odd, or out of the ordinary?"

"Not really, but we did see the woman a few times today. She looked like a lovely girl."

"We also saw her at the hotel's restaurant during dinner time. And then I decided to get a beer at the bar, and she was flirting with a man. Well, it was more like he was flirting with her, but she didn't seem to mind it," the older man said.

"Can you describe him?" I asked.

"I don't know. I didn't pay them much mind. He was wearing a long black coat and had thin black hair. Didn't seem like a great guy, but he did have a way with words, and not just with the lady, he also engaged with a few others at the bar. So, I felt like he was nicer than he looked."

"Hmm… interesting. Anything else, either before or after her murder?"

"Nope, can't say I know anything else."

"Me either. Sorry sweet pea," the woman said.

"It' okay. You gave me some useful information. Nice meeting you both," I said.

"You too," they said before they both went back to reading.

"Mini B," I heard Esposito say from behind me.

I turned around awkwardly and saw Ryan and Esposito giving me stern looks.

"I'm guessing you two are done with the room, huh?" I asked.

"Yep," they said.

"So, aunt Kate is probably in our room already?"

"Yep."

"I was just getting some intel on the case. To help you guys out… you know?"

They shook their heads at me with disappointment written on their faces and Esposito said, "Let's head back to your room, shall we?"

I hung my head in defeat and said, "Fine…"

We started walking, but were cut off by sound coming from the hotels kitchen area. We all looked at each other and Ryan said, "Emily, stay here. We're going to check it out."

They grabbed their guns from heir holster and kept them at the ready as they made their way inside the kitchen. I followed behind them because I wanted to see the action go down. More sounds erupted from the supply closest and it sounded like someone was having a fight with the supplies. Ryan and Esposito counted to three and Ryan flung open the door to reveal a struggling Castle with a mop in his hand.

"Castle," the three of us questioned him as he stood there with awkwardness.

Castle looked down at the mop, before he tossed it aside and said, "Well, uh… I came down here to find Mini Beckett, and heard some noise coming from the kitchen and the closet, and somehow got locked in here."

"Why were you fighting a mop?" Ryan asked.

"Hey, it was dark and I had no clue what was around me."

"Sure, Castle," Esposito said with a snicker.

Another noise sounded from across the way, and that was the restaurant that was supposed to be closed. Ryan and Esposito started to head towards it before turning back to us and Ryan said, "You two head back to your room."

"Yeah, let the professionals handle this case," Esposito said before they left.

I looked up at Castle and said, "So you want to know too?"

"No, I came to find you. And Kate is probably very aggravated that we aren't up there right now. So, let's head back."

"Fine, but admit you were snooping."

Castle smirked just a bit and said, "Maybe a bit."

I chuckled and a loud boom sounded before everything went pitch black. I backed into Castle and said, "The electric just went out."

"No kidding," he said.

"Yeah, yeah… but what if it wasn't the storm?"

"I didn't think about that."

"Exactly, that's what the killer wants. He wants us to think the storm did it, when it was really him."

Castle held my shoulders and said, "Hey, who are you!?"

"That's not funny Castle," I grumbled in the darkness.

"I'm serious, I see someone over there in the dark. They're hard to make out."

I looked, but could barely see anything, yet I kind of made out a darker blob in the distance.

"Who are you?" Castle asked again

The blob was silent and soon disappeared. I wondered where they went and backed into Castle some more, as he continued to hold onto my shoulders tightly. I felt a finger on my hand and wondered aloud, "Castle, please tell me that's your fingers that are touching mine."

"My hands are still on your shoulders," he said with nervousness.

I gulped and felt the warm fingers run down my forehead, then nose, and lastly, my lips. I got an eerie feeling in the pit of my stomach, but then the electricity popped back on, revealing the person who was touching me. Castle and I both screamed at the sudden change, and finally being able to see who was there the whole time. Standing in front us, giggling slightly with a satisfied smirk, was none other than my Aunt Kate.

I glared at her with a small frown and said, "Hey, that's not funny."

She chuckled slightly and said, "It kind of was. But if you two weren't down here, getting into trouble, I wouldn't have scared you."

"When you put it that way, I guess you have a point."

"So, you came to grab us?" Castle asked.

"Yes, to make sure you two didn't get into any more trouble. And when the lights went out, I took the opportunity to have a little fun of my own."

"Got it."

"Are we in trouble?" I asked.

"Oh, just slightly. Especially you, Em," she said.

I nodded slowly and said, "Yeah, I figured as much."

"Why don't we get back to the room and try to get some sleep," Castle said.

"Yeah, we'll talk more about this in the morning."

"It technically is morning though."

Aunt Kate glared at him and said, "You know what I mean."

He smiled sheepishly and said, "Yeah."

We started making our way towards the elevators and ran into Esposito and Ryan who had just left the restaurant.

"Hey, did you guys find anything?" Castle asked them.

"Nope, it turned out to be a worker setting up for breakfast in a few hours," Ryan said.

"Yep, turns out this case might be a typical suicide," Esposito said.

"That's my thoughts too. Keep me posted if you find anything else," my aunt said.

"Sure thing. Have a nice weekend you guys."

"You too," we said to them.

They nodded to us and we all went our separate ways. We made it up to our suite and went to bed to put this crazy day behind us, even though it's still technically the same day.

* * *

Because of the eventful early morning activities, I didn't wake up until eleven o'clock in the morning. Apparently, everyone else was just waking up too, because I found them meandering slowly around the kitchen as they made coffee and some breakfast, well brunch to be exact.

Alexis looked over at me from the dining table and said, "Good morning, Emily."

"Good morning, Alexis," I said.

"Morning mini Beckett, would you like some toast and eggs?" Castle asked.

"Sure, sounds good."

"Did you sleep okay?" my aunt asked me.

"Yep, did you?"

"Yes, we got some sleep."

I nodded as I took a seat next to Alexis and poured myself a glass of orange juice that was sitting on the dining table.

"What are we doing today?" I asked before I took a sip from my drink.

"Not really sure. It's still raining pretty heavily out there," Castle said as he looked out our small window in the kitchen.

"Yeah, that stinks. I wanted to go to the park or go window shopping."

"I guess this wasn't the best weekend to win the contest," Aunt Kate said with a sigh.

"Yeah…"

"You know, I was thinking about going to the free spa," Alexis said with a shrug.

"That does seem nice. I haven't been to a spa in years," Aunt Kate said.

"I think I'll pass, but you guys have fun," I said.

"Mini Beckett, don't you want to be pampered and get a massage?" Castle asked.

"Um, no…"

"Then what are you going to do? Because I know it's not going to be anything about the case," my aunt said sternly.

"No, I'm not going to be getting involved with the case. I was thinking of going to the arcade that they have on the second floor."

"Ooh, they have an arcade? Sounds like fun," Castle said with a grin.

"Well, I guess you'll be tagging along with Em," my aunt said with a chuckle.

"Yep, maybe we can have a few rounds of air hockey."

"Your so on, Uncle Rick," I said.

We all chuckled and Aunt Kate asked, "Why don't we finish up breakfast, so we can get started with our day?"

"Sounds good," Castle said.

* * *

We finished up breakfast, and Aunt Kate and Alexis were already out the door after they got ready for the spa. Once I got ready, I waited for Castle in our living room and listened to the rain that was still pounding ferociously outside. This rain storm was definitely putting a damper on my outside plans, but at least I get to spend some time with Castle and play some games.

Castle came into the living room and I said, "Are you ready to lose at Air Hockey?"

"I think you should be the one getting ready to lose, mini Beckett," Castle said with a smirk.

"We'll see about that."

He chuckled and said, "Okay, let's get down there before we lose a spot at the table."

"All right, let's go."

We went down to the arcade and there were only a couple of kids in there, playing at one of the claw machines and one of the pinball machines. The air hokey table was completely empty and looked spotless. We walked over to it and I said, "Okay, we need four tokens to play."

"I should have a few dollars to get some tokens for this game and some of the other games in here," Castle said as he went for his wallet.

He reached into one pocket and then into another and I watched him with a raised brow. He patted himself down and eventually said, "I think I forgot my wallet in our suite."

"Nice going Castle," I said with a snicker.

"Just stay here and I'll go get it."

"Why don't I get it? I'll be faster and you'll do better fending off potential people who want to play."

"Okay, fine. I left it on the dresser in the bedroom."

"Got it. I'll be right back," I said before sprinting off to the elevator.

I reached the elevator and hit the button, so I could get on when it reached my floor. The elevator binged and then opened to reveal the creepy man from the other day. I was wary about getting on with him, but I did anyway because I wanted to hurry and get Castle's wallet. I noticed number 13 was lit and not number 20, which is the floor we were both on. I shrugged it off, thinking that he may of had his room changed, and I hit my button to go up to the twentieth floor.

It was quiet between us and eventually the elevator reached floor 13, and he stalked off like he did the other day. I was going to let it go, but something told me to follow after him. I probably shouldn't be listening to that little voice, but he could be up to something, and I want to know what it is.

I stopped the elevator doors from closing, and swiftly slid out, so I could go follow him down the hall. I tried to stay quite a few paces behind, so he didn't notice me, and we went past several rooms as we weaved through many hallways on the thirteenth floor. We eventually reached one of the ends of the halls, and I hid behind a corner next to the emergency stairs. I watched him knock on the door he was at and in just a few seconds another man opened it.

The man looked like a business man and had on thick black rimmed glasses and a pricey suite. The man eyed the creepy guy and said, "What the hell do you want?"

"Your soul," the cloaked man grunted before placing a knife at the business man's throat and pushing him inside, slamming the door shut behind him.

My jaw dropped at what I just watched and scratched my head. I didn't know what I was more freaked out about; the fact that the creepy man just killed the other guy, or what he said before he did so. They were both pretty scary.

I decided to get out of there because if he sees me there when he finishes up with the business man, I could be the next victim on his list and I don't want that. I went back down on the elevator and ran to Castle who was leaning against the air hockey table.

"Where's my wallet?" he asked looking at my empty hands.

"No time Castle. I just witnessed a murder," I said.

"Emily, I thought you weren't going to put your nose into this?"

"I didn't… I swear… I saw the creepy man on the elevator and he had floor 13 lit up, but not floor 20 like yesterday. So, I figured something was up and I followed him."

"You could have been hurt Emily."

"I know that, but I just wanted to see if I was right, and I was. He killed a business man and said he wanted his soul."

Castle narrowed his eyes at me and said, "Seriously? He said he wanted his soul."

"YES!"

"Shh… Calm down mini Beckett. Let's just tell the hotel clerk and see if they can go check it out."

"Shouldn't we call the precinct or tell aunt Kate?"

"If we call the precinct and it turns out to be nothing than we'll be in trouble. If we bother Kate and it turns out to be nothing than she's not going to be very happy. Is that what you want Emily?"

I sighed in defeat and said, "No…"

"Okay. Let's go tell the clerk," Castle said.

We went down to the check in desk and Castle hit the bell to get someone's attention. Nick happened to be working today, so he was the one to come over to us.

"You're the guests from room 2021, how may I help you this afternoon?" Nick asked with a smile.

"Emily here, thought she heard something on the thirteenth floor, and we were wondering if you could check it out," Castle said.

"Huh, and why were you on the thirteenth floor?"

"Long story," I mumbled.

He nodded and asked, "What room is it?"

"I'm not sure… It was one of the last rooms on the floor, and it held a business man."

"I know who you're talking about, he's in room 1350. Keeps to himself and only leaves his room for his business meetings."

He picked up his phone, and dialed what I assumed was the business man's room. After a while he hung up and dialed again. Once again, he hung up the phone and looked at us with an uncertain face and said, "Well, he's not picking up the phone. I'll have one of my bellhops go check on him."

He looked over to one of his bellhops and said, "Morgan, I need you to check on room 1350, Peter Bandit, for me."

The bellhop nodded and went to the elevator. Nick looked back at us and said, "I assure you everything is okay."

"It's fine Nick. We're sure it's nothing, right Emily?" Castle asked.

"Yeah, sure…" I mumbled.

The phone rang, and Nick raised his pointer finger as he picked up the phone with his other hand. He nodded on the phone with wide eyes and whispered, "Are you sure?"

He nodded a few more times as he ran a hand down his face and said, "Thanks Morgan. Keep the area clear and I'll be right up."

He hung up and Castle asked, "Is Peter dead?"

"Uh… yes. Yes, he is. I'm calling the NYPD and then going to head to his room. You guys should go to your room until more information is available," Nick said as he picked up the phone again.

"Come on mini Beckett, let's get back to our suite," Castle said.

"But uncle Rick. We should tell them what I saw? This is a…" I started to say before he cut me off, "We don't know what this is Emily. Let's just get back, and figure things out from there."

"Fine."

* * *

We were in our suite, Castle sitting on the couch watching some kind of program on the television, and I paced back and forth behind the couch. Castle looked back at me and said, "You know, pacing isn't going to help any, right?"

I stopped and said, "I know that, but I don't know what else to do. There is a potential serial killer on the loose, and no one's doing anything about it."

"He's not a serial killer Emily. The woman this morning committed suicide, and whatever you saw this afternoon, may or might not be a murder."

"But what if it is? What if it is all connected and every single person in this hotel is a risk?"

"Then the NYPD will handle it."

"Yeah, but probably not before another victim gets axed."

"Mini Beckett, just relax, okay? Everything will be fine, I promise."

"I hope you're right, Uncle Rick. I really do."

"Come on, sit down and take a load off."

I was about to sit down with Castle before Aunt Kate and Alexis came into the suite whilst laughing with each other. I was about to tell them what happened before Castle cut me off, presumably knowing what I was going to bombard them about, "So, did you guys have fun?"

"Dad it was great. And the masseuse was kind of cute," Alexis said with a giggle.

"Oh… huh…"

"It was great Castle. Alexis and I had a lovely time. How about you two?" my aunt asked.

"I WITNESSED A MURDER!" I yelled, trying to beat Castle to the punch.

"What?"

"I witnessed a murder aunt Kate. The creepy guy from the elevator killed this business man named Peter, and I saw the whole thing go down."

"How? Why? I thought I told you not to go around looking for trouble Emily."

"It wasn't my fault. He was on the elevator and he went to floor 13 which I knew wasn't his floor. So, I followed him."

"Em, you could've been hurt."

"I know."

"Did you guys tell anyone?" Alexis asked.

"Once Emily told me the story, we informed the clerk about what Emily witnessed. The NYPD are probably up there with him now," Castle replied.

"We have to do something," I said.

"Em, you've already done enough. We're just going to stay here and wait for any information that comes in, and finish this staycation that you so badly wanted to have," my aunt said.

"But..." I started to say, but a knock on our door interrupted me.

Aunt Kate opened the door and standing there were Esposito and Ryan.

"Hey, what's up? Is it about the man on the thirteenth floor?" she asked.

"Yeah, we heard Castle and Mini B reported it," Esposito said.

"Yeah, and I know who did it?" I said.

They both raised a brow at each other before Ryan looked at me and said, "No one did it. It turns out that this was another suicide. He cut his own throat."

"Yeah, Lanie is going to give us more details once she examines him, but it looks like another open and shut case," Esposito said.

"That's not true. I know what I saw. He put the knife to his throat and said "I want your soul," before he pushed him into the room," I said with frustration.

"Em, just let it go. You are mistaken at what happened. You just want to find more into this case, but it's nothing. Just drop it," aunt Kate said sternly.

"I'm not going to let it go. And I'll prove it to you, there has to be evidence on the security footage."

Esposito sighed and said, "We check the footage, and there is nothing on there."

"What?"

"Yeah, there security system isn't working because of the storm. The video is grainy and cuts off every two minutes. Sorry Mini B," Ryan said.

I contorted my face in several different emotions, trying to wrap my head around everything they've said. I knew what I saw and I know that this man is doing the killings, but no one believes me, just like always.

"Emily," Castle whispered.

I shook my head, glaring at everyone, before I ran to my room, and slammed the door behind me. I jumped into my bed and cried into my pillow, letting all of my emotions run out of me like a raging storm. A soft knock was placed on my door, and I yelled, "Leave me alone!"

"Em, please… Let's just talk about it," I heard my aunt say softly.

"There's nothing to talk about! You don't believe me! No one does!"

I heard the door creek open and close, knowing that Aunt Kate has made her way into my room. I buried my head further into my pillow and grumbled something incoherently to her. I felt her place a hand on my back and she said, "Come on Em. Talk to me."

I sighed and sat up slowly while wiping my angry tears away. I looked at my aunt and said, "I know what I saw Aunt Kate. I'm not making any of this up. It wasn't a suicide."

"It could possibly be a murder, Em. But we have no evidence to go on. And if we just go on your word and what you think you saw, we could be accusing an innocent man of murder, and without any concrete evidence. It could be horrible for our precinct, and we don't need any bad publicity right now."

"I understand, but I swear he did it."

She nodded and said, "I know Em… I know…" she sighed before continuing, "Why don't we go to the restaurant downstairs and regroup with some dinner?"

"I'm not hungry," I grumbled.

"Em, you need to eat."

"I'm not hungry."

"Fine. We'll be down in the restaurant, while you learn to grow up, Em. You're not always going to be right about things and sometimes you have to learn to except things. If you do get hungry, order some room service, or meet us downstairs."

I laid back down, turning away from my aunt and I heard her walk out with a frustrated sigh. I knew I was acting childish and like a brat, but I wasn't going to let this go. I'm going to prove that there is a killer and it's the creepy man from the elevator.

* * *

After I pulled myself together, I decided to go downstairs and try to get more information about these two "suicides." I didn't know where I was going to get more information from, but I would figure something out. I went into the elevator and hit the lobby button to go down. As I leaned on the back wall, listening to the boring elevator music, the elevator stopped abruptly with the lights going out. The only thing I could hear was the faint sound of rumbling thunder.

I groaned as I slid down the wall and said, "I can't believe I'm stuck in the elevator."

Who would have thought that the storm would knock out the power while I was in the elevator? I know I didn't, or I would've taken the stairs. I leaned my head back and hoped the backup generators would kick in soon, because it was creepy in here. I looked around after a few minutes of nothing happening, and tried to see if there was a way out, or if the emergency phone was working. I checked around and checked the phone, but it was pretty much a dead end.

I decided to bang on the elevator door and yelled out to anyone who might be in the halls. I banged some more and screamed, "HELP! I'm stuck in the elevator! Someone! Anyone!"

It was silent and I let out a sigh, figuring I wouldn't be getting out of here anytime soon. I went to sit back down, but a knock on the elevator door made me run back to the doors and knock back.

"Is someone there!" I yelled out.

The elevator door started opening slowly, so I decided to help by putting my small fingers in the gap, and pulling the doors with all my strength. Since we worked together, we were able to open it enough, so I could possibly get out with their help. They shined a light on my face, and I squinted up at my savior and found none other than the creepy man who I'm almost positive is the killer. I stepped back from him and he glared at me.

"Come on, or I'll leave you in here to die," he said.

"Aren't you going to kill me anyway?" I asked.

"That's for me to know, and you to find out. So, what's it going to be?"

I weighed out my options, dying in an elevator or dying by the hands of a serial killer. They both sucked, but I figured it might be easier to get away from him, than the elevator. I nodded and said, "Fine."

I went up to him and he reached out a hand for me to grab. I sighed and grabbed his large hand which felt rough to the touch. He put his flashlight down and reached for my other hand, and I gave it to him. He lifted me up and as soon as I touched the ground, I went to bolt, but he was just as quick and he grabbed my shirt, making me fall backwards and onto my butt. I struggled in his grasp, and went to scream, but he covered my mouth with one of his hands. During the struggle, I knocked his flashlight into the elevator and it got extremely darker in the hall.

He pulled me up roughly, still having a hand over my mouth, and dragged me into a room. Once we were in there, I noticed a whole shrine was made out and there were candles littering the whole living room. There was a single chair in the middle of the room, and it was on top of some kind of satanic symbol. I wasn't getting good vibes from this, and figured I was going to be a sacrifice for this man. That's so not cool, yet maybe slightly, because it's definitely something different.

He plopped me into the seat, and tied me down, wrapping some rope around my mid-section, arms, and around the chair. He cracked open an old, rustic book, that was almost as big as a small side dresser, and started reading silently. I cleared my throat to get his attention, and his green eyes locked on to my brown ones.

"Before I die… I just wanted to know if you killed the woman and the man from earlier? Even if die, I can at least know I was right," I said, trying to spare some time, and learn the truth.

"Yes, I did. I had to have three sacrifices, a woman, a man," he started to say before I finished his sentence, "And a child."

"Exactly. I want to please my master."

"Satan?"

"That would be the one. I've been studying Satanism for about 15 years now since I went to college. It changed my life. I found this book, and I wanted to learn how to please my master. I found this ritual thing and saw I needed to have three human sacrifices in 24 hours to complete the calling."

I raised a brow at him and said, "Oh… You don't have to drink the blood of your victims, do you?"

"No… But we do have to drink the blood of a goat, which I drained some a few days ago," he said as he motioned towards a glass with blood in it.

I gagged at the thought and said, "You know, I don't judge. Whatever you're into, but it's kind of gross though."

"Whatever…"

"What's your name anyway?"

"Damien! Now shut up and let me finish reading this, so I can do this right!"

"Okay."

He started reading again and I looked around the room. There were several crazy symbols and satanic looking items around the room, which gave me goosebumps. This stuff really makes your hair stand on end, and I was not looking forward to being a sacrifice.

Damien nodded his head a few times with a grumble, and grabbed a large knife from the coffee table. He walked over to me and started saying some phrases in what I assumed was Latin. I shrunk back as he continued to spew out words in Latin, and lifted his head to the sky with his eyes closed. I looked for a way out and noticed there were a few candles by us. I decided it was worth a try to tip my chair over and potentially knock over the candles.

As Damien continued with his whacky ritual, I rocked the chair the best I could, so I could tip over. I picked up enough momentum and felt my chair tip over on to its side, making my right shoulder hit the ground with a loud thud. I winced as the pain racked through my body, but I noticed Damien screaming in pain. His pants leg was on fire, but so was the rug around me, and everything was going up in flames quickly.

He hopped around and tried to desperately pat out the leg that was on fire. I tried to wiggle free from my restraints, but they were still pretty tight. I was getting extremely hot as the fire burned around us, and the thick smoke was starting to make it hard to see and breath.

I heard loud banging on the door, and I tried to lift my head to see through the flames and the smoke. I squinted my eyes and heard two gun shots ring out, before the door got kicked open. Aunt Kate entered with her gun raised and Castle followed her in with his hand covering his face. Aunt Kate went over to Damien, and said, "You're under arrest."

Castle came over to me trying to desperately get past the flames, so he could untie me and get me out.

"Hurry… Uncle… Rick," I said in between coughs.

"I'm… trying…" he said as he fiddled with the knot.

Finally, Castle got me loose, and he pulled me up and away from the rising flames. Aunt Kate already had Damien in handcuffs, and was pulling him out of the door. I was too weak to keep going, so Castle picked me up, cradling my weak body in his arms. We went down the several flights of stairs until we got to the lobby and exited through the entrance. Outside, there were several ambulances and fire trucks around, their lights brightening up the dark night.

I noticed that it stopped raining and I smiled to myself, thinking that it was finally nice out, now that he worst was over. Castle placed me on a stretcher and an oxygen mask was placed over my face. The fresh oxygen ran through my body, and I was happy to not breathe in anymore smoke. Castle got one put over his too, and he sat on the back of the ambulance.

I watched aunt Kate hand over Damien to Ryan and Esposito with a few short words, before she made her way over to us. The paramedics handed her an oxygen mask, but she shook her head, saying she was fine. She came over to me, where I sat upright on the stretcher, and she smoothed my hair back soothingly. She kissed my forehead and said, "I'm sorry Em."

I pulled my oxygen mask down a bit, with a small smile on my lips, and said, "I hate to say… I told you so… But… I told you so…"

She chuckled softly and said, "Yes… Yes, you did. Are you okay?"

"Other than getting smoke inhalation, and bruising my shoulder… I'm fine."

"I'm glad we got to you in time."

"Me too, or I would have been barbecue."

"Emily."

"It's true… Hey, Castle?"

"Yeah," he mumbled as he walked over with his manual oxygen pump in hand.

"Thanks for getting me out of there."

"No problem mini Beckett. I wasn't going to let you burn alive."

"I know."

"How did the fire start?" my aunt asked.

"I knocked the candle over. I thought it was the best way to escape."

"It was, and it helped us find where you were."

A paramedic came over and said, "We're heading to the hospital now. Are you both coming with?"

They nodded and he said, "Okay, we'll load her up, and get going."

* * *

We were only at the hospital for a few hours and I got checked out for my smoke inhalation, and the shoulder I fell on. Thankfully I didn't inhale to much smoke, and my arm was just a nasty shade of black and blue, but nothing serious. I was actually cleared to go home that night, and home we went.

As we sat in the living room of Castle's loft, Alexis asked, "How'd you even wind up with him?"

"I got stuck in the elevator," I said.

"How'd you do that?" Castle asked.

"I didn't think the electricity would go out on me while I was making my way to the lobby."

"Were you coming to meet us for dinner?"

"Uh... Well…"

"Really, Em?" my aunt said with annoyance.

I shrugged and said, "What? It turns out I was right."

"Yes, but you also put yourself in danger."

"Yeah, I guess I did. How'd you guys find me anyway?"

"Ryan and Esposito called us just before the power went out and told us that they found evidence linking Damien to both murders, ruling out suicide for both cases."

"So, you guys came looking for me."

"Yep, and once we smelled the smoke, we knew you were in danger," Castle said.

"How'd you know I was in danger?"

"Em, we know you to well. Where ever there is trouble, you happen to be smack dab in the middle of it," Aunt Kate said.

"That sounds about right."

"Well, I'm glad you're okay Emily. What a crazy staycation we had," Alexis said.

"Yeah, who would have thought a Satanist would be staying in a five-star hotel," I said.

"That is pretty hard to imagine," Aunt Kate said.

"But this'll definitely be a great case to put in my Nikki Heat novel," Castle said with a grin.

"I think people would enjoy that. You're going to credit me, right?" I asked.

"No."

"Oh, come on. I practically lived it… Can I at least get into the special thanks?"

"Sure, that can be arranged."

"How about a cut of the profits?"

"I don't think so."

"Extra allowance?"

"No."

"Well, I'm going to bed," Alexis said with a chuckle as Castle and I continued to go back and forth.

"Me too," aunt Kate said as she went to her and Castle's shared bedroom.

"Please…" I groaned.

"I'll sleep on it," Castle said as he got up.

"That means no."

He smirked and said, "You don't know that Em."

"Yeah, I do. But I'll keep pestering you about it until you give in."

"I have no doubt that you will."

"Goodnight uncle Rick."

"Night Em."

* * *

The next morning came around, and I went downstairs and tiptoed into my aunt and uncles room. I was thankful they were both dressed and weren't doing anything that would blind me for all eternity, and said in a sing song voice, "GOOD… MORNING…"

They both sat straight up and glared at me. My aunt looked at her phone and said, "It's five a.m. and its Sunday. What are you doing up?"

"I couldn't sleep, and I was thinking, since our weekend has been crappy, and the sun is shining today, that we could do something fun. We could go to the park, then dinner, and go to the off-Broadway show we have tickets for. I mean, since we still have the tickets to it, why waste them?"

They looked at each other, their facial features softening, and Castle turned to me and said, "You know, why not? I think we deserve it after what we've been through."

"Yeah, I think that'll be great," my aunt said with a smile.

"Really?" I asked happily.

"Yep," they said.

I jumped onto the bed, and tackled them down into a tight hug. They giggled and my aunt said, "What's up with you this morning?"

"I don't know. I'm just happy. I'm happy to have a family like you," I said with a small shrug.

"We're happy about that too," Castle said.

Alexis walked in rubbing her eyes and yawned out, "What's going on?"

"We decided to spend our last day of what was supposed to be our staycation on a good and fun note. Are you in?" Castle asked his daughter.

She nodded with a sleepy smile and said, "Yeah, sounds great. Can I at least get a few more hours of sleep?"

"Yeah sure. Why don't we sleep a little longer, and go out for breakfast?"

"Sounds good," I said.

"Yeah," my aunt said.

"Uh-huh," Alexis yawned as she walked out of the room.

My aunt and uncle looked down at me and I said, "Mind if I crash here. I don't feel like going back upstairs… I think sleep is finally… hitting me…"

I yawned and flopped back into their bed with a soft thud. All I heard was their soft chuckling before I drifted off to sleep, excited about our fun day ahead.


	66. Chapter 66

AN: This chapter is based on Season 7 Episodes 14 and 15 "Resurrection" and "Reckoning". Thank's to everyone for following, favouring, and reviewing this story. Here's the next chapter everybody, enjoy. Don't forget to Review. :)

Disclaimer: I do not own Castle or it's characters.

* * *

They're Back…

I was sitting at the kitchen isle, eating some cereal before heading off to school, and Aunt Kate was sitting next to me, drinking some coffee. Mrs. Rodgers was getting herself ready to head out for her day, and Castle came out from his bedroom, making his way over to the three of us. When Castle reached the kitchen island, Aunt Kate handed him his cup of coffee and Mrs. Rodgers said, "Richard, it pains me to admit it, but I am in your debt."

"Yes, deeply. But if you'd like to start paying rent," Castle said.

"No, no, no. I mean, I owe you a debt of gratitude."

"Oh…"

My aunt and I both cracked a smile as we continued to listen in on the conversation at hand.

"If you had not urged me to take this audition, I would never have gotten this part," Mrs. Rodgers said as she grabbed her coat and continued, "Now I'm off to my wardrobe fitting. Bye."

"Bye," we all said as she headed out.

Alexis came downstairs, grabbing her own stuff to head out and Castle asked, "And where are you off to?"

"Oh, I signed up for an escort service. I have to meet a client," she said seriously.

"What? On a what?" Castle fumbled out.

"I just wanted to see if you were listening. I am going to the library. To study," she said as she gave him a hug and kiss goodbye.

"Not cool."

She gave my aunt a hug and kiss too saying, "Bye, Kate."

"Oh, bye-bye," my aunt said with slight shock.

"Bye Em."

"Bye," I said.

Alexis went out the door and Castle asked, "A goodbye kiss? When did that start?"

"Just now. Yeah. No, I'm as surprised as you are." Aunt Kate said.

"I don't know if I'm surprised. I mean, you are pretty lovable."

"Well, you raised a great person, so…"

"Mmm…You say that now. You weren't here for the beginning."

"And next time, I will be."

"Next time? Are you saying that you're thinking about…?"

"Yeah, about it. About my job. About whether we're ready. If there's ever a right time."

"There never is. But there's never a wrong time, either."

Aunt Kate's phone started to ring and she said, "Except maybe now."

"Really?"

"Okay, we'll talk about it later," Aunt Kate said, giving a kiss to Castle, before walking away so she can answer her phone call, "Beckett."

I went to place my dishes in the sink and I asked, "Castle, what's an escort service?"

He looked over at me and said, "Uhh… Umm… You'll um… It's nothing…"

"Sure… It sounds like nothing."

"You'll learn when your older."

"Fine," I mumbled as I grabbed my backpack.

Aunt Kate came out of the bedroom and said, "I'll drive you to school, Em."

"You don't have to, I can go by myself."

"Yeah, yeah… I'm going passed there anyway, so take the free ride."

"Okay… Bye uncle Rick."

"Bye mini Beckett," he said.

"Bye," Aunt Kate said with a smile as we walked out the door.

* * *

Aunt Kate dropped me off at school, and it was a pretty uneventful day. It was mostly just school work, a few tests, and children going wild every time we had our five-minute class changes. Nothing really out of the ordinary, and now I was on my way to visit Castle at his PI office because it was always fun to pester him and see if he got any new cases. Even though he never really has a case, and winds up sitting at his office all day, playing some videogames and getting a few random phone calls here and there.

When I got to his office, the door was closed, and the lights were out. That's not usually what I see when I drop by, so I decided to check the door, and to my surprise, it was actually locked. I found it quite odd that he wasn't manning his PI office, and I wondered if something was going on at the precinct. Maybe the case aunt Kate got is something bigger than I thought, and they asked Castle to help out, even though he's not allowed too, or Castle just got bored and decided to head home early for a change.

Well, whatever it may be, I decided to head to the precinct anyway to see if one of my two theories were correct. As I left the PI office, and walked down the crowded sidewalks of New York, a man in a hoodie shoulder checked me hard enough to leave a possible bruise, and I almost lost my footing, but thankfully I was able to catch myself. I looked behind me and watched the man continue to stalk off, and I shook my head, mumbling out a small, "Jerk."

I rubbed my arm and wondered what that guy's problem was, sure we all have bad days, but did he really have to shoulder check an almost thirteen-year-old girl in the middle of a busy sidewalk. It would have been fine if it was an accident, but it didn't feel like one, and was probably deliberate, but why? Did I know him? Did he know me? I wasn't sure, but I gave my sore arm another rub, before I made the rest of the way towards the precinct.

* * *

I reached the precinct, and found everyone there, including Castle, getting briefed on the case they were trying to solve. I decided to listen in and snuck behind the crowed, to hear what was going on. It had to be serious if everyone was at the meeting, and even letting Castle into the mix since he's been banned.

"Listen up, people. This woman is in grave danger. She left Saint Simon's Hospital yesterday, and we urgently need to find her," I heard Captain Gates say.

"She is a patient of Dr. Kelly Nieman. Nieman is not cooperating, so canvass the hospital. Someone there has to know who she is," I heard my Aunt cut in.

"And work this vehicle. We find the truck, we find the woman along with the man she took a ride with."

"That man is Jerry Tyson, also known as 3XK. And I am sure that no one here is more familiar with him than Castle."

My jaw dropped at everything that I just heard, were they seriously back again, and was the 3XK killer really still alive. I might not know much about this Nieman lady or the 3XK killer, but from what I do know and what I've heard, this isn't good. We could all be in danger, especially my aunt and Castle. It looks like my uneventful day just turned into a very eventful one.

"Uh, a dubious distinction. 3XK, the Triple Killer… So named because he kills his victims in groups of three. Blondes, like his latest victim Susan Watts. The original 3XK killings were unsolved and stopped soon after they started. But then, four years ago, another victim showed up. Now, we couldn't prove that Marcus Gates was 3XK. But his cellmate, Jerry Tyson, agreed to help us put Gates away in exchange for early release. That turned out to be not such a good deal. By the time we realized that Jerry Tyson was 3XK, it was too late. We got close again when Tyson used the gun he stole from Detective Ryan in a homicide. Then he dropped out of sight. But not for long. I wish I could say my doubts were unfounded. And now, at the time, we weren't certain that Tyson was behind it all. We didn't even know if he was alive. But we do now," Castle said.

Aunt Kate stepped back up to the front and said, "But we might have gotten lucky. It looks like Susan Watts escaped from Tyson, forcing him to kill her in the alley and leave her body there. Which means he got careless. He made mistakes. Let's press our advantage and find this woman before she becomes his next victim."

"You are dismissed," the captain said.

Everyone dispersed and aunt Kate caught my eye, and she walked over to me with irritation on her face.

"What are you doing here Emily?" she asked.

"I went to visit Castle at his PI office, and he wasn't there, so I decided to try here first. So, is it true? Is 3XK really alive?" I asked.

"Yes, it's true," Castle said from beside my aunt.

"Crazy…"

"Yeah," they said.

"What were you doing at Castle's PI office?" my aunt asked.

"She always visits me. She helps keep me company on slow days," Castle said with a small smile.

"Yep, which is pretty much every day," I said.

"Hey, I've had a few cases."

"Maybe two every month. Besides, they usually only take you a few hours to solve anyway."

"Well, whatever it may be, I need you to stay out of the way. This case is very serious, and I don't need you getting into any trouble. So, I need you to go home," my aunt said.

"Can I at least stay for an hour? I just walked from school, to Castle's PI office, to here. I need a break."

She huffed and said, "An hour, and then you go home. And if you don't want to walk, I'll have an officer drive you home. It might be safer that way anyway."

"Okay, deal."

"Okay, sit by my desk, and don't get into anything."

"I won't."

Esposito came up to them and said, "Nieman is ready for interrogation."

"All right," she said to him before turning to me, "Have a seat and behave, please."

"I will… I will…" I mumbled as I headed over to her desk.

I sat in the seat next to my aunt's desk, and watched her and Castle head into the interrogation room. I let out a huff and looked around the room, watching officers bustle about the precinct, trying to get to the bottom of this case. When I moved a certain way, I felt a slight twinge in my arm from where the man bumped into me. I rubbed it again and figured it be sore for a while and I'll probably have a nasty black and blue mark when I check it out at home.

* * *

A little while later, Aunt Kate and Castle walked back from interrogation and Ryan was filling them in on a new development in the case.

"She have any connection to NewStart Horizons?" my aunt asked Ryan as they stopped at her desk.

"Not that I can tell," he replied.

Castle was staring intently at the case board and said, "Nieman's creating his victims."

Ryan turned to look at him and asked, "What do you mean?"

"For Jerry Tyson. They're like clones. They're blonde and pretty, just the way Tyson likes them. Nieman finds these poor women, lost souls that no one is gonna miss, and she remakes them. She grooms them for 3XK."

Esposito came over with some papers in hand and said, "Yo. We got the truck. Tory picked it up on another street cam. Got a license plate. Vehicle belongs to a guy named Michael Boudreau."

"We got an address?" Aunt Kate asked.

"Yeah, four blocks from where Susan Watts was found."

"Let's go," she said to them, before turning to me, and said, "Come on Em."

"I can come too?" I asked.

She let a short huff of laughter and said, "No, you're not coming with. I'm asking an officer to drop you off at home."

"Worth a shot…"

"Come on…"

Aunt Kate got an officer to take me home, and he even walked me to Castle's front door. It may have been necessary, but it felt weird having a uniformed officer walk me to my front door. I said my thanks to the man, and went inside to finish up my only homework of the day, which was a short English assignment. As I finished up the assignment, I decided to watch some late afternoon shows on the television and listen to some music. In the back of my mind, I wondered what was going on with the case. I figured I could get the scoop after they're done with it, but it's always fun to be in the loop as the case unfolds.

As I thought about the case, my stomach started to growl lowly, and I felt the hunger slowly creeping in on me. I let out a huff, and went to the kitchen to see if we had anything to eat. I looked through several cupboards, and roamed the refrigerator, trying to figure out what to eat. I decided to go with some ramen noodles, because why not. I placed the ramen into a bowl, and cooked it like the instructions told me too. And after about 20 minutes of microwaving, the ramen was finally done, and I sat down at the kitchen isle to eat.

The ramen wasn't bad, and I actually did a decent job at making my meal. It didn't take me long to eat it, because I was seriously hungry, but I tried to favor each bite I took, so it would last a little longer. Once I finished, I went to put the bowl in the sink with my sore arm, and groaned at the pain I felt in my shoulder. After I put the bowl carefully in the sink, I pulled the collar of my shirt down and to the side, so I could see if my shoulder was bruised or not. I found what I expected once my shoulder was exposed, and there was a nice baseball sized black and blue mark that covered my left shoulder. I touched the tender spot and let out a pained squeak at the horrible discomfort that ran through me.

I decided to grab an ice pack that we had in the freezer, and placed it on my bruised shoulder, so I could keep it from getting any worse than it was. As soon as I sat on the couch with the ice pack on my shoulder, there was a knock on the door. I tipped my head back with an agitated groan, and got up, placing the ice pack on the coffee table. Whoever was at the door knocked again, and I said, "I'm coming, hold your horses."

I opened the door, and found someone in a hoodie with black gloves, looking down at the ground. It wasn't the same person who rammed into me earlier, because this person was more petite, possibly female, but at that moment, I figured the two were connected. I looked questionably at the figure in front of me, and said, "Who are you?"

They didn't answer me, instead the figure jabbed something into my uninjured shoulder, and next thing I know, everything went black.

* * *

3rd person POV

After everyone frantically searched for Beckett at the corner of Ninth Ave and Jane Street, only finding a message left on her car reading: _Help Her_ , Ryan and Castle went to pay a little visit to Mike Boudreau.

"Mr. Boudreau, open up!" Ryan yelled as he pounded on his door, and when Mike opened up, Ryan said, "Mr. Boudreau, shortly after leaving to meet with your friend, Amy Barrett, one of our detectives went missing."

"So?" Mike questioned with a shrug.

"So, where is she?" Castle asked sternly as he looked at the monster he assumed to be Jerry Tyson.

"I don't know. I've been in police custody until an hour ago."

"Giving you the perfect alibi," Castle said, pushing forward to get into Mike's face, but Ryan held him back.

"Maybe I have an alibi because I didn't do anything wrong," Mike said as he went to close his door.

Castle stopped the door from closing and questioned, "Then why don't you let us in?"

Mike hesitated for a second, before he nodded and said, "Fine."

"Beckett? Beckett?" Castle called out as he looked around the man's apartment.

"Come on, man. Nobody's here. It's just me."

"What'd you do to her, Tyson!? Where are you keeping her!?"

"I'm not keeping her anywhere, and I'm not Jerry Tyson."

Castle went to grab the man that was just a couple of feet away from him, but Ryan stopped him and held him back from beating up the man who may or may not be the real Jerry Tyson.

"No, no! Come on! No, you can't do this! You can't just come in here threatening me!" Mike yelled at the fuming Castle.

"I know it's you! I know it's you," Castle said pointing at the man as he was pushed out the door by Ryan.

Ryan pushed the angry Castle against the brick wall outside of Mike's apartment and said, "You're not helping her. Not like that."

"So what? We just let him kill her?"

"No. But Castle, we can't do anything if we don't have anything."

"It's him, Kevin. It's Tyson."

"We need to prove it," Ryan said as he let go of Castle, "We'll put units on him, put him under the microscope. If it's him, he won't be able to make a move without us knowing it. We'll find her."

Castle walked away from Ryan, still frustrated that he wasn't anywhere near close to finding Beckett and getting Tyson behind bars. Ryan let out a sigh, feeling Castle's frustration because all he wanted was to find his friend/co-worker, and get rid of Tyson just as much as Castle did.

* * *

Back at the precinct, everyone was working diligently, trying to find Detective Beckett before it was too late.

"I've got a unit on Boudreau's place, and a follow car standing by," Ryan said to the Captain.

"Espo, put units on Nieman as well," the Captain said to him.

"Copy that," Esposito said as he got on the walkie to put the units on Nieman.

"Anything on the canvass?" Castle asked as he continued to walk with Ryan and the Captain.

"We've pulled officers from the If there's a witness out there, we'll find them," Captain Gates said.

"How about video?"

"The immediate area where you found her car didn't have any street cam or security coverage," Tory answered.

"Making it the perfect place for an abduction," Esposito interjected.

"I have teams from four precincts pulling all video in a 10-block radius from where Beckett was taken. It's a long shot, but…"

Castle cut Tory off and asked, "What about Amy Barrett? The phone call she made to Beckett, can we trace that?"

"We did, to a cell phone. It's no longer active."

"We've got Amy's picture out to every cop and every transit worker in the city," Esposito said.

"Amy's not gonna be in public, not if she's working with Tyson," Castle said.

"And we're assuming Boudreau is Tyson. But what if Mike Boudreau is really Mike Boudreau? What if Nieman actually cut him to look like Tyson just to give us someone to chase? What if the real Jerry Tyson is still out there?" Captain Gates questioned Castle.

"No. He's just messing with our heads. Boudreau is Tyson."

"It doesn't make any sense. Why would he let himself get arrested? Why would he risk returning to his apartment?"

"It's part of the thrill. To be here among us, within our grasp. He wants to see how close he can get to the flame. That's what excites him. It's not just the murder he likes. It's the game. We had him, and we let our guard down. That was his plan," Castles phone started to buzz and he picked it up with a simple, "Hello?"

"Castle, can you hear me?" Kate's voice rang through the receiver.

"Beckett!"

"Please, Castle, I need your help."

"Where are you?"

"Oh, God. Castle, please, you have to help me. Castle, help me!"

After that, the phone call was disconnected and they all went with Tory to see if they can trace the call and find a location.

"What was the number?" Tory asked.

"212-555-0147," Castle raddled off as he watched her type it into the system.

"How long to trace?" Ryan asked.

"Don't know," Tory said as she continued working on it.

"It sounded like she was struggling. She was trying to get away from someone. She could still be there," Castle said.

The location popped up onto the screen in front of them and Tory said, "It's a pay phone. Operated by Centi-Com."

"Where?" Ryan asked.

"Tracing it now."

"Come on, come on," Castle mumbled.

"Got it. Upper West Side, parking lot, by the West Side Highway."

They all bolted out of the precinct, and made their way to where the call was placed. They got out of their vehicles and Esposito said, "Fan out. Secure the area."

They reached the payphone and found a small envelope on top of the payphone with writing on it.

"There's something here. You got it?" Esposito asked Ryan.

"Yeah," Ryan answered as he pulled the envelope out carefully.

"Careful. Easy. It might be rigged. Okay."

Ryan pulled it out and on top of the envelope was written, _Richard Castle_ , in big bold letters.

Ryan took the item out of the envelope and scoffed at it.

"It's a voice recorder," Esposito said.

Ryan hit the play button and Kate Beckett's voice could be heard, "Castle, can you hear me? Please, Castle, I need your help. Oh, God. Castle, please, you have to help me. Castle, help me!"

"She was never here," Castle said.

"He's playing us," Ryan said.

"He's probably watching us right now," Esposito got on the radio and said, "I need a chopper! I need search teams on every roof. Let's go!"

"I don't understand. If this is a recording, when did they get her to say this?" Ryan wondered aloud.

* * *

They went back to the precinct and asked Tory the same question Ryan wondered not to long ago.

"They didn't. The recording was manufactured, digitally spliced from what appear to be several different sources," Tory said.

"What sources?" Castle asked.

Tory pulled up a video and said, "This, for one. It's an interview Beckett gave to the local news just after you disappeared."

She played it and Beckett said, "Please. If you have any information, or know anything about the disappearance of Richard Castle, I need your help."

"And here's the recording."

She played the recording from the recorder and Beckett's voice said, "Castle, can you hear me? Please, Castle, I need your help."

"Given the background noise on some of these other words, I'm guessing parts of this were recorded in public, using a parabolic mic on the street, maybe even at crime scenes."

"Then this was planned. They've been preparing this for months." Ryan said.

"Looks that way."

"This was about Beckett."

"No. That interview, that was meant as a… It's a message to me. He wants me to suffer," Castle said.

"Why? Why is Tyson fixated on you?" Captain Gates asked as she made her way into the room, "If he's directing this at you, he may try to communicate. We should put a tap and a trace on all your phones."

"I'll set it up," Tory said.

Castle walked towards the Captain and said, "Captain, he's already communicating. He's out there, sitting in Boudreau's apartment, and he knows where she is."

"And we can't touch him until we have proof," she said.

"By then she'll be dead! Please, Captain. This is… She's my wife."

"Mr. Castle, I know you're hurting, we all are. But we have to keep our wits about us. We have to work the evidence. It's the only way we can get her back."

Esposito made his way over to them and said, "Captain, the canvass at the abduction site found a witness who said that she saw someone matching Beckett's description. Said she was in a wheelchair being pushed towards a red van, and, uh, witness also said she appeared unconscious."

"She must've been drugged," Ryan suggested.

"Did they see who was with her?" Gates asked.

"No. The person pushing the wheelchair was wearing a hoodie," Esposito mentioned.

"What about a license plate?" Castle questioned.

"No."

"But that's a start. Get teams scrubbing all street cam footage from blocks nearby. Find that van," Esposito and Ryan walked off to find the van, and Gates turned to Castle and said, "We are gonna get her back."

Gates walked off to her office, and Castle made up his mind to go pay Jerry Tyson, or Mr. Boudreau, as he calls himself a little visit. He drove to Boudreau's place, and sat in his vehicle, waiting to go in there and have a little chat. Castle placed a black beanie on his head, and made his way towards his apartment. Castle knocked on the door, and Boudreau opened it cautiously, spotting Castle instantly.

"No, no, no. I told you that I'm not…" Mike started, but Castle cut him off by slamming the door open, hitting the man in the face.

Mike fell to the floor and grabbed his face, groaning out in pain, "Oh, God."

Castle walked in, closing the door behind him with no emotion, ready to get to the bottom of this case, and put a stop to Jerry Tyson. As Mike continued to groan on the floor in pain, Castle asked sternly, "Where is she?"

"Get out of here," Mike said.

"Is she alive?"

Castle grabbed Mike and Mike yelled, "Help! I need help! Get off me! Get off me!"

Castle slammed him into the wall and asked him once again, "Where is she?"

"I told you, I don't know!"

"Why'd you do it, Tyson? For revenge? Because we were happy?"

"You have got the wrong guy."

"The hell I do. Where is she?" Castle asked for the third time, throwing Mike into a bookshelf to emphasize that he wasn't messing around.

Mike groaned and Castle said, "You planned this, you and Nieman. But it ends tonight."

Mike grabbed one of the broken boards beneath him, trying to defend himself and said, "Go to hell."

Castle pulled out a gun and asked him once again, "Where is she?'

Mike put the board down, and raised his hands cautiously, "Hey. Hey, hey. Hey, man. No, no, wait a minute."

"Tell me where she is, Tyson, or so help me God…"

"I don't know! And I'm not Tyson. He just wants you to think I am."

"Where is she?"

"But I didn't do this. I didn't do any of this."

"Where is she?"

Boudreau backed up to his bathroom, Castle following him closely, keeping the gun trained on the man in front of him.

"I'm not him. Doctor Nieman just made me look like him, but I'm not him," Mike said nervously.

"Where is she?" Castle asked.

"My name is Michael Boudreau. I swear. I was… I was born in Iowa. I was raised on 11725 North Genoa Street. My parents' names are Michael and Lauren. I'm not Jerry Tyson. I'm not. I swear."

"I don't believe you," Castle cocked his gun and said, "Now, last chance."

"No, please, don't. Don't, please."

"Where is she?"

Boudreau's door burst open, and the police charged in, "NYPD! Police! Drop the gun! Drop it! Drop your weapon. Drop it!"

Castle looked over his shoulder, gun still in hand and the one officer said, "You heard me. Drop the gun now!"

Castle let the weapon drop to the floor, and the other officer said, "Let's see your hands!"

Castle put his hands up and on top of his head, but he continued to eye the man in front of him with anger, and hatred written on his face. The officer handcuffed Castle, and soon the four of them were back at the precinct. Castle stared blankly ahead, eyes never leaving Mike's back as he talked with Captain Gates. Other officers and Esposito surrounded Rick, but he didn't even care, he just wanted justice.

"Come on, Castle. Assault with a deadly weapon? Do you have any idea what this does to the investigation? You don't think I wanted to go over there and beat the hell out of him? And Nieman? That's not gonna get her back," Esposito said to him.

Ryan came over and said, "He is pressing charges. We're gonna have to book you."

"Me? What about him?" Castle asked, flabbergasted at what he just heard.

"We don't have anything to hold him on."

Castle watched as Mike got up from where he was chatting with the Captain. As he made his way out, Castle and him locked eyes before he was out of sight.

* * *

Castle was getting booked, and as he waited Captain Gates said, "You are never gonna win going straight at him. If he thought there was any chance of that, then he wouldn't have stayed in that apartment. We'll take care of the rest of the booking details later."

She took Castle's handcuffs off and he asked, "Anything on the van?"

"No, not yet," Castle sighed at the answer and she said, "You know, when I first got here, I couldn't figure out what Beckett saw in you. But you know what she said? " _He sees the story. I see the evidence, where it leads, but he sees the story._ " That man got inside your head, and you let him. You wanna help her, you gotta get inside his. What's his story? What's his next move going to be? Now, you figure that out, and we'll find her."

Ryan came into the holding room and said, "Sir."

"What's wrong?"

"It's Boudreau. Tyson. On the way back to his apartment, he bolted on the subway platform and jumped onto the tracks. Our guys tried to follow, but they lost him."

The three of them quickly went back to the main area of the precinct and the Captain sent out orders to everyone, "I want Transit Authority on full alert. Put every unit in the area on the lookout, and get his picture on the wire. I want him found."

Esposito went over to Gates with a walkie in hand and said, "Captain! I just sent teams to Kelly Nieman's apartment to check on her. She's gone."

"How can she be gone? We've been on her place the whole time."

"They found an access door to the roof open. She must have went out of it and climbed across the roof to another building."

Castle's phone was ringing, and he took it from his pocket to see who it was.

"Get an APB out on her. Get teams down to the hospital, see if she's…" Gates said.

Castle answered his phone with a simple, "Hello?"

"How did it feel to be that close?" Jerry Tyson's voice rang through the receiver.

Castle banged on the gates of the precinct to get everyone's attention, and pointed to his phone, "Tyson."

"Trace. Go," Gates said.

"Yeah," Ryan said as he ran to his computer.

"You know the part I liked best? The pain in your eyes. The suffering. And all that fear knowing that I have her," Tyson said.

"Well, if this is about me, then take me. Take me and let her go," Castle said.

"No. No, if I took you, I'd only get to kill you once. You see, this way, I get to kill you over and over again."

"Tyson. Tyson?" Castle called out as the line went dead.

"Ryan? Did you get him?" Gates asked as she went over to him.

"Stand by," Ryan said as he watched his computer search, "Wait. Wait. We got it! Number's coming through right now!"

"Where is he calling from?"

"Oh, God. Castle! He's calling from your house," Ryan said.

* * *

Castle quickly made his way to his home, along with several officers who quickly searched the place. Martha let out a terrified scream at the sudden intrusion of their home.

Castle went over to her and asked, "Where's Alexis?"

Just then, Alexis screamed and ran down stairs, saying, "Dad, what the hell?"

He let out a sigh and looked around, "Wait, where's Emily?"

Everyone looked around and Castle spotted her backpack and a melted ice pack on the coffee table.

"When's the last time either of you saw her?" Castle asked.

"I… I don't know… yesterday morning… I didn't even notice she was missing…" Alexis said with a sad sigh.

"Me either… I thought she was in her room," Martha said.

Castle groaned and said, "We'll find her, along with Beckett. For now, I want to make sure you two are safe."

* * *

Alexis and Martha got dressed and packed to get out of dodge for a while, and as they made their way out the door, Castle asked, "You have your passport?"

"Yes, yes, yes. But Richard, Europe? I…" his mother questioned.

"No buts. I need to know that you're safe. Now, the police are gonna take you to the airport. I have friends waiting for you on the other side."

"Okay."

Alexis gave her dad a hug and said, "Dad, please be safe."

"I will. But I need you to go," he said

"Okay. Take care, baby. Be careful," Martha said as she gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"I love you."

"Okay. I… Bye."

* * *

Castle went back to the precinct, waiting on any news that they might have received. Now with Emily missing as well, Castle was beyond furious, and wanted to get this over with, taking Jerry Tyson down no matter what. Ryan made his way over to the brooding Castle, and said, "We just heard from Tech. No evidence of anyone tampering with your phone. They think that Tyson must've figured out a way to spoof your number from the outside."

"Inside, outside, doesn't matter. He wants me to know he can get to me any time. But how and when did he get Emily?"

"I don't know… Officers said that there weren't any signs of forced entry. I have a feeling Em let whoever it was, inside on her own accord. Without even knowing she was in danger."

"Yeah… Judging the way it looked at my place, and the melted ice on my coffee table, Emily was gone for a while. And I didn't even know…"

"I'm sorry. I had him the night at the motel. If I could've found a way to move a little faster, react a second sooner…"

"It's not your fault. It's not my fault. It's his fault."

Esposito made his way over and said, "Yo. Uniform in Queens just spotted that stolen red van off the APB."

"Where?"

"Parked outside of an abandoned industrial property."

"Is she there?"

"We don't know. But an ESU team is on its way."

* * *

Emily's POV

I woke up and I tried to move, but my wrists were tied with duct tape behind my back as I sat in an uncomfortable and old wooden chair. Both of my ankles were tied up as well, and they were both tied to the two front legs of the chair. I looked around my surrounding, and noticed I was inside a house, which looked just as old as the chair. It was run down, and had that antique smell to it. In the small corner I was in, I could barely make out what was in the other room, accept an opening to another room, and a cluttered desk with a computer monitor on it.

I continued to look around, trying to find a way to get out of my restraints. Even though the small corner I was currently in was cluttered with several other chairs, I noticed a jagged piece of metal coming out of the wooden wall behind me. I carefully, and quietly, well as quietly as I could, tried to move the chair back towards the jagged metal piece. I wiggled, and hopped back until I felt the semi-cold metal touch my hand. I desperately tried to free myself, and slid my duct taped wrists down the jagged metal. I tried to make sure that every time I slid my wrist down, that I was careful not to cut my skin on accident.

After about twenty minutes, or possibly longer, I felt the duct tape starting to break away. I slid them down just a few more times, and then it finally ripped enough, so I could pull my wrists apart. I brought my hands in front of me, and pulled the tape off, discarding it onto the floor below me. I made haste on removing the duct tape around my ankles, and eventually pulled them both off as well. I stood up carefully and looked around before I made my way down the short stairs and into the other room.

There was a small window, and it looked to be around late afternoon, almost night time. I don't know how long I've been here, but if I had to guess, I'd say it was at least a full day. The wall next to the window was covered with newspaper clippings and articles about my aunt and Castle. There were also several pictures of them as well, and it gave me the heebie-jeebies.

I walked over to the monitor on the desk, and saw that the webcam was pointing at my Aunt Kate. She was strapped down to a table, and I had no doubt in my mind that Nieman wasn't with her. As I continued to watch my aunt moving on the monitor, the door of the room I was in opened slowly. I looked over at it, and braced myself to see the 3XK killer, Jerry Tyson, coming through it. Instead of him, it turned out to be Castle making his way inside with a gun at the ready.

"Castle!" I said with shock.

He came over to me and pulled me into a hug. He pulled away and asked softly, "Have you seen Tyson?"

I shook my head and said, "I haven't…I just woke up not too long ago, and broke out of my restraints."

"All right, stay close," Castle said as he went over to the wall and looked at the pictures and articles.

He turned around, and noticed the monitor I was looking at.

"She's not here," he said.

"But you are," Tyson said from behind us.

We turned around, and Tyson was standing there holding a flashlight and taser in his hands. He shot Castle with the taser, and he dropped with a groan to the floor below.

"So glad you could join me," he said with no emotion.

I ran at him, and said, "You Jerk!"

He grabbed me easily by my shirt, and threw me to the ground on my injured shoulder.

"Ow…" I cried out at the searing pain.

"How's that shoulder feel?" he asked as he quickly moved to duct tape my wrists together.

"You're not going to get away with this," I said through gritted teeth.

"Actually, I already have."

He tossed me against the wall and pointed a finger at me, "Don't move."

He grabbed Castle's gun and deftly trained it on him as he started to come to, and sat up on the ground. Tyson kept the gun aimed at Castle, and he pulled out his cell phone to make a phone call to who I assumed to be Kelly Nieman.

"Yeah, I've got him. Did you get what you need from her? Enough. Get her ready. And wait for my call," he hung up and continued to eye Castle with a sinister look.

"Take a seat," he said to Castle as he motioned towards the seat by the monitor.

Castle took a seat and said, "Please, you have me now, but just let them go."

"Oh, no, no, no. I can't. She's part of the plan. Yeah. It's why I brought you here."

"Brought me?"

"You know, what I love about human beings is they're so predictable. They're like mice. You can get them to do anything. All you have to do is put a little cheese at the end of the maze, and know exactly when to shock 'em."

"You knew I was coming?"

"Dangling Boudreau in front of you, watching Beckett die before your eyes. Once I had the cops chasing their tails, I knew it'll only be a matter of time before you did something on your own. Visiting my old cellie was a… Well, that was a natural choice."

"This was a set-up."

"What better way to get you here alone than to make you think it was your idea?"

"Why? Why are you doing this to me?"

Tyson got closer to Castle, pointing the gun at his face as he walked around him, a smirk on his face, "Because I wanna see your face. That's why I lured you here. So I could see your face while you watched her die."

"No. No, that's not it."

"Oh?"

"This isn't about me, is it? It's about so much more than that. This is about you. Your inadequacy. All the games, all the manipulation. After I screwed up your plans, you needed to prove you were smarter than me. You needed to know you could control me."

"Mmm… Well, you're here."

"You know, I've written characters like you. Cunning psychopaths so narcissistic they believe they can't be caught. Because they're smarter than everyone, and they need to prove it. Well, that's your story, Jerry, why you did everything. You needed to prove it. So I let you."

"What do you mean?"

"I let you bring me here. It was the only way to find you. I needed to find you so I could find her. But the truth, Jerry... The truth is, I lured you here. To watch you die. Are we clear?"

"Clear about what?"

"Then take the shot."

Jerry turned around and a bullet flew through the window, piercing Tyson in the chest. He turned back to us slowly, and he tried to raise his gun at Castle, before he dropped to the ground, dying in front of our eyes. Castle went over to him, and Ryan came into the room dropping next to Castle.

"You have her location?" Ryan asked.

"Yeah," Castle said as he went through Jerry's pockets, pulling out his cell phone, "Here. This is the last number he called. Beckett's with Nieman."

Ryan pulled out his phone and said, "I need an emergency trace on the following number."

Castle pulled the monitor around to look at it and watched aunt Kate still struggling in her confinement.

"Little help here…" I said as I continued to lay against the brick wall.

Castle looked over at me and said, "Sorry Em."

He walked over and kneeled next to me as he ripped the duct tape from my wrists. Once he freed me, I stood up and rubbed them softly.

"You okay?" he asked.

"Yup, I just want to get to Aunt Kate."

"Me too."

"Hey, we got a location. Let's move," Ryan said.

* * *

They made their way into the building that Nieman was holding my aunt Kate, and I had to wait by the squad car with a few unformed officers. I was nervous as I waited, but I knew my aunt could handle herself. A little while later, they all emerged from the building and I spotted my aunt in Castle's embrace as he walked with her. I put large grin on my face as they approached, and enveloped her into a hug. She wrapped an arm around me and asked, "What are you doing here?"

"I was abducted as well, and was held captive by Jerry Tyson," I said.

"Oh god… Are you okay?"

"Yeah, just a sore shoulder from yesterday, which was reinjured a little while ago."

"What happened yesterday?"

"Some guy shoulder-checked me as I was walking to the precinct from Castle's PI office. I guess if I put two and two together, it was possibly Tyson who did it."

"Why didn't you say anything?"

"I didn't know. I just thought of it not too long ago."

"Well, I'm just glad you're okay."

I looked at my aunt's right hand, and noticed it was coated in blood, and I asked, "Did you... Did you kill her?"

She sighed and said, "Don't worry about it."

I just nodded, not wanting to push any further, even though I already knew the answer to my question.

* * *

We spent a few hours at the crime scene, and my aunt got to clean off the blood on her hand and put on an NYPD jacket to keep warm. After we were through, we all made our way back to the precinct. When the elevator doors opened, and we stepped inside, everyone stood up and gave a round of applause to my aunt, happy to have her back safe and sound. Lanie came running up to her best friend and said, "I was so scared."

They embraced in a tight hug and Lanie asked, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah."

They pulled apart and Captain Gates said to Castle, "That was the stupidest, most reckless, irresponsible stunt you've ever pulled, Mr. Castle. Thank you."

She shook his hand, but he pulled her into a hug and with a chuckle she said, "Okay, all right. All right, all right," they pulled apart and she continued, "Okay! There is still the matter of the assault charges."

"Assault charges?" my aunt asked as she looked over at Castle.

"It's a long story. But, Captain, you can't be serious," he said.

"Serial killer or no, you threatened an unarmed man with a gun. The DA takes that very seriously. But, in light of your outstanding work on this case, he's willing to drop the charges if you agree to 1,000 hours of community service."

"A thousand hours?"

"Yes. As a consultant to Detective Beckett and the 12th Precinct."

"I'm being un-banned?"

"Mr. Castle, welcome back."

He pulled her into another hug and she said, "Okay."

He pulled away with a smile and turned to my aunt Kate and pulled her into a hug as well.

* * *

Eventually we were able to go home, and Aunt Kate and I both took showers and got dressed in clean clothes. Castle and Aunt Kate made me meet them at the couch because they wanted to talk to me before bed. I went to the couch warily, as the two sat next to one another. I took a seat next to my aunt, and asked, "No one's dying, are they?"

"Em… No one's dying," my aunt said with a small, but serious smile.

"That's a relief. Usually when people have a sit down like this, it's bad news."

"No, everything is fine. We just wanted to ask you a few questions."

"Is it about what happened in the past few days?"

"Yeah, it is mini Beckett," Castle said.

"This time it wasn't my fault. Danger just happens to gravitate towards me."

"Em, we're not blaming you for anything. We just want to know why you didn't tell us that someone shoulder-checked you on the way to the precinct?"

"Like I said, I didn't know it was him. I thought it was just some random, angry man, who had a bad day."

"But if you would have told us, we may have been able to protect you."

"I'm sorry."

"And why did you open the door mini Beckett?" Castle asked.

"Come on… Am I seriously getting a lecture because I made two little mistakes."

"Em, those two mistakes could have gotten you killed," my aunt said.

"Your aunt's right. If we wouldn't have been able to track Tyson down, he could have killed you," Castle explained.

"I know… Okay. I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking," I said with irritation at this unnecessary lecture.

"Em, don't be mad. We didn't mean to upset you. We just wanted you to think and be more careful next time," she said.

"Who says there is going to be a next time?"

"I hope there isn't a next time, but knowing you Em, there very well may be a next time."

"And we want you to be prepared and alert. Not making stupid mistakes," Castle said.

"But you make silly mistakes all the time Castle," I retorted.

He sighed and said, "Yes… But we learn from our mistakes, and I want you to follow in the right footsteps, and not make the same stupid mistakes I do sometimes."

"Fine, whatever…" I said as I went to go to bed.

Aunt Kate grabbed my arm and said, "Emily, don't act like this. I just want you to be safe. No one even knew you were missing this time. I don't want that to happen again, and possibly lose you."

I sighed sadly and said, "I understand. I'm sorry I acted like this, I know you want to protect me. I just couldn't comprehend why I was getting in trouble after everything that happened in the last 72 hours."

She pulled me into a hug and said, "I know. I just want to prepare you if any of these things happen again."

"Okay. I love you aunt Kate."

"I love you too, Emily."


	67. Chapter 67

AN: Thank's to everyone for following, favouring, and reviewing this story. Here's the next chapter everybody, enjoy. Don't forget to Review. :)

The Babysitters Club: Alexis and Emily

I was sitting in the precinct next to my aunts desk, working on some school stuff as I hung out here. Castle was here as well, and now that he's been able to help out at the precinct again, he's been spending a reasonable amount of time between here and his PI office. Ryan was on the phone with his wife and he hung up with a heavy sigh.

"What's up Kevin?" Esposito asked.

"Jenny and I had a friends wedding tomorrow, and we were going to leave Sarah with a babysitter. Jenny just told me the babysitter canceled. Now we can't go," Ryan explained.

"Can't you find someone else?"

"Not this last minute."

"I'll do it," I said from my seat.

All heads turned to me and Ryan said, "That's okay mini Beckett."

"I can do it."

"Do what?" my aunt asked as she made her way over with Castle.

"Babysit Sarah."

"I don't know Emily. That's kind of a big responsibility."

"I know, but I'm pretty sure I can handle it."

"She did watch us take care of Cosmo. Maybe she can," Castle said.

"I don't know Castle," my aunt said.

"Maybe I can get Alexis to help. I'm sure she wouldn't mind."

"You know, why not. I'll let Alexis and Em babysit, and it'll be great to go do something and see my friends again," Ryan said.

"Are you sure?" My aunt asked.

"Yep, I trust them."

"sweet, so I'm hired?" I asked.

"Yes, you're hired mini B."

"Thanks, I won't let you down."

"I sure hope not."

The next day came about, and Alexis agreed to help me babysit. I was excited to babysit little Sarah, but at the same time I was nervous. I wanted to do a good job, so I could show everyone that I could do a simple babysitting job, and its always nice man ng a little extra Cash. Alexis and I went over to Ryan's place, and knocked on the door. A frazzled Jenny opened the door in a beautiful magenta dress, and looked at us with a stressed smile.

"Hi, Alexis and Emily. How are you?" Jenny asked.

"We're fine. Are you okay?" Alexis asked the distressed woman.

"I'm not sure. I mean we've only gone out a couple of times since Sarah Grace has been born. Usually it's only an hour or so, not six. I just feel bad for leaving her. Not that you two won't do a good job at babysitting."

"Don't worry, I understand. I promise we'll take good care of her."

"I know... I know..."

"Jenny, don't worry. We'll be back before you know it, and Sarah is in great hands," Ryan said to comfort his wife.

"Yes, I know."

"Okay, Alexis, Emily, we'll be back around 8 pm. Sarah's baby food is in the cabinet next to the refrigerator. There is also a few bottles of milk in the fridge. Help yourself to anything, or order something. Umm... Sarah is asleep, so you should be okay for a bit. And if you need anything you know our numbers, and the church and reception address and numbers are on the fridge."

"Okay, have a good time you guys," Alexis said.

"Thanks, take care of my baby," Jenny said.

"We'll take great care of her."

"Bye," Ryan said as he led his wife out the door.

We were alone and I said, "So, now what?"

"We wait until she wakes up," Alexis said.

"What do we do until then?"

"We could watch a movie."

"Sounds good to me."

Alexis and I watched a movie, and when we went to pick another one, Sarah awoke from her slumber. Alexis picked up the baby monitor and said, "Let's go get her."

"Okay," I said as I followed her to Sarah's room.

We went into her room, and she was hanging onto the railing of her bed. Alexis picked her up, and she cooed gently in her arms.

"She feels wet," Alexis said.

"So we should change her," I said.

She nodded as she laid Sarah down on the changing table. Sarah started to get teary eyed, and Alexis said, "Try to keep her occupied, and make her laugh."

I nodded, and grabbed a small plush toy that looked like a bunny, and started making funny faces at her. A small smile started to grace her face, and I continued to do what I was doing, as Alexis finished changing her dirty diaper. Sarah started giggling at my goofiness, and Alexis finally finished up her diaper. She put her onesie back on, and we took her into the living room, putting her into the playpen they had in there.

"Okay, I'm going to get Sarah some food and order us something. Want some pizza?" Alexis asked me.

"Yeah, sounds good."

"Okay, keep an eye on her."

"I will."

Sarah babbled happily as she played with her toys in her playpen. I watched her play with a small smile on my face, and I messed around with a few of her toys myself, and got a few more giggles out of her. Alexis came in and said, "I order the pizza and it should be here in about 30 minutes."

"Cool, I can't wait," I said.

"I'm going to feed her, do you want to help?"

"Sure, I'll give you a hand."

She picked Sarah up and took her into the kitchen, placing her into the highchair. I grabbed the baby food that Alexis put on the kitchen counter, and handed it to her. She took it from me, and went to feed the baby. Sarah turned her face from the spoon with baby food, and made a disgruntled grunt.

"Come on Sarah, tasty food," She wound her arm around and said, "Here comes the airplane."

"Urgh…." Sarah grumbled with a small wine.

"What do I do?"

"I don't know. I never dealt with a picky eater," I said with a shrug.

"I know, why don't you take a bite of it?"

"I don't know…"

"it's fine."

"Okay, if it helps her eat."

Alexis placed the spoon by my mouth and I ate the baby food that was on it. It mushed around in my mouth, and the taste was unbearable. Alexis looked at me, her eyes telling me to play it up, and make it look delicious. I started swallowing the gross baby food, and mumbled out, "Mmm… yummy…"

Sarah started giggling again, and Alexis got some more food on the spoon for her. She did the airplane thing again, and this time Sarah took it happily. She ate the food with a smile, and Alexis kept doing that until it was all gone.

After we cleaned up, and got Sarah into a new outfit since she dribble some food onto the one she was wearing, we placed her into the living room and watched some kiddie shows with her. As we did that, Alexis got a call on her cellphone. She answered it and said, "Are you outside? What? Really? Yes, I'll see what I can do. Thank you."

She hung up and I asked, "What's wrong?"

"Their pizza delivery truck broke down. Their other driver can't get their, because he's stuck in traffic, so it could be another 2 hours."

"So…"

"I'm going to have to pick it up if we want our pizza. Day you think you can handle Sarah for about 30 minutes?"

"I can do that."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm positive Alexis, I can do it."

She left out a sigh and said, "Okay, I'll be back as soon as I can."

"Okay."

Alexis left soon after, and I hung out with Sarah as we continued to watch baby shows, and played with toys. About ten minutes after Alexis left, I heard the door getting jostled and I knew it couldn't be her. I grabbed Sarah and quickly put her into her bed in her room, closing her door behind me, and went to the kitchen to grab a frying pan. I waited next to the door, and kept a firm grip on the pan.

The intruder finally picked the lock, and pushed the door open slowly.

The person made their way inside, sneaking into the room carefully, and I took the frying pan in my hand whacking him in the face. The intruder doubled over with a hand over his injured face and let out a loud groan of pain. I went to whack the intruder once more, but he turned his head and raised his hand to protect himself from my next blow.

"Wait, mini Beckett. Its me," I heard Castle say.

I looked at the intruder, and indeed it was Castle, "Why were you breaking in? You could have just knocked."

"I just wanted to see if you were alert."

"I could have hurt you Castle. Well, more than I already did."

"You definitely have a nice swing."

Castle got up, still holding his face, and I said, "sorry about that."

"No, it's my fault. I shouldn't have snuck in like this," he said with a wince.

"True… Would you like an ice pack?"

"That'd be great."

I chuckled and went to the kitchen to get Castle an ice pack, and to put the frying pan away. Castle followed me and asked, "Where's Alexis?"

"She went to grab our pizza from the pizza place. Apparently, their delivers car broke down and their other driver was stuck in traffic."

"Oh, so you're alone here with Sarah…"

"Hey, I can handle it. I'm almost thirteen, and I defended myself against an intruder."

"Yeah, I guess so."

I handed Castle the icepack, and he placed it on his slowly growing black and blue mark on the side of his face.

Just then, Alexis came back from the pizza place and said, "Em, I got the pizza."

She walked into the kitchen and her mouth dropped with shock at seeding her father here, "Dad, what are you doing here? What happened to your face?"

"I came to check on you two, and Emily hit me with a frying pan," he said.

"Why did you hit him with a frying pan?"

"He was breaking in, so I thought he was an intruder," I said.

"Why were you breaking in?"

"Um… I wanted to see if you two were alert and prepared," Castle said trying to set and his actions.

"Really dad?"

He shrugged his shoulders, and she shook her head at her father.

"Where's Sarah?" Alexis asked me.

"In her room. I put her in her bed when Castle was breaking in," I said.

"Okay, I'm going to check on her, and you two can get out the pizza."

"Okay."

Alexis went to check on Sarah, and Castle and I got out the pizza, splitting it between the three of us.

Eventually, we all ate our pizza together, while Sarah was asleep in her room. After our supper, we decided to watch a movie together, and it was actually really fun to babysit with the three of them. Right after the movie ended, Ryan and Jenny walked though the front door. Ryan spotted Castle with us and he asked, "Castle? What are you doing here, and what happened to your face?"

"I came to check on them, and Emily thought I was an intruder , so she hit me in the face with a frying pan," Castle said.

"Nice work, Mini B."

"Thanks," I said.

"I'm glad everything is okay. How's my baby?" Jenny asked.

"She's fine. She is sleeping in her room if you'd like to check on her," Alexis said with a small smile.

Jenny nodded and made her way to her daughters bedroom to go check on her. Ryan came over to us know with a small smile, "Thanks guys. I appreciate you all for watching Sarah, and if we ever need a backup sitter again, we on w who to call."

"It was nothing. We had a good time," I said.

"I'm glad you did. Here's a little something for your guys time."

Ryan took out he wallet and handed Alexis and I a twenty dollar bill. I smiled and said, "Thanks Ryan."

"Yeah, thanks. You didn't have to pay us," Alexis said.

"I know, but you really helped us out tonight," Ryan said.

"What about me?" Castle said.

"Thanks for keeping Emily alert."

We all laughed and Castle shook his head at Ryan. We left soon after and headed back home.

When we got there, aunt Kate greeted us with a smile, as she sat at the kitchen isle, drinking a cup of coffee.

"Castle? What are you doing with them, and what happened to your face?" She asked him.

"Well, hello to you too," he said with a chuckle.

"He broke into their house, and I thought he was an intruder, so I whacked him with a frying pan," I said.

"Seriously Castle?" she asked.

"I just wanted to check on them," he said.

"I know, but sometimes you just got to let them do it themselves."

"I Know… I know…"

"Other than Castle breaking in, how did it go?"

"It went very well. Emily was a great help, and I bet she'd do a great job even without me there," Alexis said.

"Good job, Em."

"Thanks," I said with a proud smirk.

"I guess its time for bed. I have to go rest my face," Castle said as he rubbed his black and blue mark.

"Night guys," Alexis said as she headed to bed.

"Goodnight. Sorry about your face Castle," I said.

"It's fine. It was my fault," he said.

"Night aunt Kate."

"Goodnight Em," she said.

I went to bed, putting my money away before hopping into my bed to get some shut eye. I had a good time babysitting with Alexis, and maybe next time I'll be able to babysit by myself.


	68. Chapter 68

AN: This chapter is based on Season 7 Episodes 23 "Hollander's Woods". Thank's to everyone for following, favouring, and reviewing this story. Here's the next chapter everybody, enjoy. Don't forget to Review. :)

Disclaimer: I do not own Castle or it's characters.

* * *

Night in the Woods

Aunt Kate, Alexis, and I were all hanging around the kitchen, because Castle wanted to show us something. Castle popped up from behind the kitchen island, and placed a large picture of his head on top of it, whilst saying, "Boom!" He peeked out from behind it and said, "Hello, I'm serious and brooding Richard Castle."

We all gave each other a look, as he brought out another large picture of himself, "And I am friendly, accessible, ruggedly handsome Richard Castle."

"Wow, Dad. Could your head get any bigger?" Alexis questioned him with a smirk.

"Can you blame me? I'm accepting the Poe's Pen Career Achievement Award. It is the biggest honor a mystery writer can get! I am joining the pantheon of greats to whose heights I have always aspired. So, which big head?"

"Uh, I like the ruggedly handsome, smiling giant you," Aunt Kate said as she pointed to the picture on the left.

"I like the serious, brooding you," Alexis said.

"Oh..." Castle said as he looked at the brooding picture.

"I say neither capture your looks, plus they both kind of creep me out," I said with a shrug.

I earned a glare from Castle, along with chuckles from Alexis and my aunt, and Castle said, "Okay, Emily's vote is invalid. All right, Mother, you are the tie-breaker. Which of these should be hanging behind me at the ceremony next week?"

Martha stood behind us and said, "Oh. Darling, you know I refuse to play favorites. I love both of my son's big heads equally. All right, I am off to meet a friend of mine whose father just passed away."

"Oh, Martha, I am so sorry," my aunt said to her.

"Oh, no, no, don't be. He had a rich, full life. And, more importantly, he has a rent-controlled loft in Chelsea. Which, if I play my cards right, could be mine. Bye."

As Mrs. Rodgers left to go get herself a loft from some dead guy, my aunt's phone started to chime, so she pulled it out to look at the message. As she read her message, Castle said, "Well, there's the death-as-opportunity spirit we all love."

Alexis nodded and Aunt Kate said, "Oh, looks like we have an opportunity of our own."

"Oh! let's head out. We'll go head to head later. See where I'm heading?" Castle asked with a chuckle.

I decided to tag along with them to the crime scene because I feel like it's been forever since I tagged along with them, plus the last case they were on they got to be on the set of Saturday Night Tonight, and they met Carly Rae Jepson. I miss all the good cases. Anyway, we got out of the vehicle when we reached the crime scene and Castle said, "You know, with this award, you going for captain, we could be New York's newest power couple."

"Oh, Castle, don't jinx it. I haven't even gotten my exam results back yet," she said.

"It's you. You aced it."

"Plus, it sounds like a disaster waiting to happen," I said as I chimed into their conversation.

They both gave me a strange look and Castle asked, "Why would you say that?"

"Whenever something amazing happens, and life seems to be going in the right direction, there's always something bad to follow."

"Thanks, Em. I enjoy your pessimism," my aunt said with a sigh.

I shrugged and said, "I'm just saying… You know it's true."

"Mm-hmm… But let's try not to think about that."

"Fine, positive happy thoughts."

"That's the spirit," Castle said with a smirk.

Esposito and Ryan were getting out of their vehicle, and Ryan said, "No, man, it was a guy with the ax in his heart. He bled out in the Barcalounger. We called him Lord of the Flies, remember?"

"No, no, no, you're wrong, bro. It was the pet shop owner whose wife fed him to the dogs," Esposito argued.

"What are you guys fighting about?" my aunt asked.

"Uh, the first case that Captain Montgomery partnered us on, 10 years ago today," Ryan answered.

"Really, it's your manniversary? And I didn't get you anything," Castle said.

"There's still time," Esposito said.

We walked up to a lady in uniform and she said, "You the folks from the 12th? I'm trooper Collins. Thanks for coming out of your jurisdiction. Our victim's a Jane Doe. It appears she was attacked in the woods and chased onto the road, where she was hit by that truck. Because of the assault, we're classifying the death as a homicide."

"Any idea where she was coming from?" Castle asked.

"It's state game land. Not a house for miles," the trooper said.

"Any ID on the body?" my aunt asked.

"No. And we ran her prints, but they're not on file. We've got our teams out there searching the woods, but we found these tucked into her bra."

Trooper Collins handed over some evidence bags, and Ryan looked them over and said, "$50 bill, keycard, and a cash receipt."

"From a coffee shop in the city. Dated yesterday."

Esposito took one of the pieces of evidence and said, "This card looks like a hotel key."

"But it's not from anywhere around here. We think maybe she was staying in the city. We were hoping you could help us track down who she is and what she was doing here."

"Yeah, of course," Aunt Kate said to her.

Castle started walking over to the dead woman's body, and my aunt continued to chat with the trooper to get more info. Castle turned back from the body and asked, "Trooper Collins? These carvings on her face…"

We walked over to where Castle was and she said, "The crosses? Freaky, right? We think she was maybe running from whoever did that."

"They look ritualistic," my aunt mentioned as she looked the bloody cross marks over.

"Yeah, and it gets freakier. Just as the trucker hit the girl, he says he saw something emerge from the woods."

"Some thing?" Castle questioned.

"A dark figure wearing a mask."

"What kind of mask?"

"He was pretty shaken up, so we didn't press. We'll get a full statement from him once he's been treated."

"Where is he?"

"At the hospital in Woodbury," her radio crackled and she said as she picked it up, "Excuse me. Trooper Collins, go."

As the three of us stayed by the body, Castle said, "We need to talk to that driver."

* * *

Castle looked pretty distant and shaken up after we left the crime scene, making our way to the hospital to talk to the driver who hit the girl. I wondered what had Castle like this, and that maybe he's encountered a case like this before. When we reached the hospital, we were allowed to go meet with the driver and ask him a few questions.

"I tried to stop, I did. But she just came out nowhere," the driver said.

"Mr. Walters, the trooper said you saw something in the woods," Castle said.

"Yeah. It almost didn't seem real, like it as some kind of ghost. Freaky as all hell."

"Can you describe it?" my aunt asked.

"It wore a dark, ragged coat with a mask like a doll's face."

"Like porcelain?"

"Yeah," Aunt Kate looked over at Castle, wondering how he knew that, and the driver continued, "It was white, with black where the eyes should have been."

"Were there markings on it?"

"Yeah."

"Like what?"

"Like streaked teardrops coming from the eyes. Uh, and the face, it was uh…"

"Bisected with two black lines, like a cross."

"Yeah. How'd you know that?"

"Castle, what's going on?" my aunt asked him.

"It was real," he mumbled.

"What was real?"

"Beckett, I've seen that mask before."

Well, this case just took a wild turn, but this just got a whole lot more exciting.

* * *

We were back at the precinct and Castle was currently staring at a sketch of what the driver saw in the woods.

"The sketch is from the truck driver. You ready to talk about it?" Aunt Kate asked.

"I was 11 years old. Uh, my mother was touring with _Pippin_. I was in New Hampshire, staying with the family of a classmate for President's Day weekend. Their home abutted a few hundred acres of state forest called Hollander's Woods. We were told never to go into the woods alone," he said.

"Somebody told you not to, so you had to do it anyway. Just like someone else I know," she said as she threw a quick glance my way before returning to Castle.

"I walked for hours. I was cold, completely lost. And that's when I saw him. A figure, clad in black, kneeling. And after a few moments, he left. And that's when I saw her on the ground."

"Her?"

"A body. The first body I ever saw. Her throat had been slit and those same symbols were carved into her forehead and her cheeks. I touched her arm. I remember thinking how cold it was. That's when he found me and told me not to tell anyone or he'd kill me. So, I ran off."

"Why do you think he let you live?"

"I don't know. I waited till I got back to the city to call the police, from a payphone. I was too scared to let them know who I was."

"And who was the girl?"

"That's just thing. They searched the woods with cadaver dogs. They never found a body."

"So, you never figured out who she was?"

"I checked local papers. No one in the area had been reported missing. When I got older, I checked with missing persons, even the FBI database for anyone matching her description or any crimes involving those symbols or that mask. But there was nothing. It was like it never happened. And after a while I started to wonder if it had. That day in the woods, Kate, that's why I do what I do. I'm driven to figure out the story because I could never figure out that one."

"Why didn't you ever tell me this before?"

"I think I didn't want it to be real. But it is real. He's real. He killed before, and he just tried to kill again."

A little while later, we were still trying to figure out this bizarre case, that Castle apparently had ties to a long time ago. As aunt Kate put some photos up on the investigation board, Ryan came over and said, "I checked with the police department near Hollander's Woods. Their logs do show that they received a call in February of '83 reporting a body. But, after coming up empty, they assumed it was a prank."

"Okay, what about the FBI database?" my Aunt Kate asked.

"There's been no other occurrences in the past 30 years of any assaults or murders with this MO. Beckett, this thing that Castle says happened, it was decades ago. Is he really sure about this?"

"As sure as I've ever seen him."

"So, our Jane Doe. Anything on that coffee shop receipt?"

"Yeah, a barista there remembered seeing our victim. She wasn't a regular, but she'd been in several times in the past few days."

"Was anyone with her?"

"No. She came in alone. She'd get her drink, take a seat and spend hours staring out the window."

"Okay, why don't we set up a canvass of the neighborhood? Maybe someone there knows who she is."

"After all these years, do you really think it could be the same killer?"

"We won't know until we find him."

Esposito came over and said, "Yo. That keycard that we found on the victim? It was tracked to an extended-stay motel, out in Queens."

They left the precinct, and I wound up staying behind as they continued their investigation.

* * *

A little while later they back to the precinct, and tracked down Emma's father, so they could talk to him about what she might have been involved in. After a little chat with him, my aunt and Castle headed back towards the investigation board and Castle said, "That's why I could never find the girl I saw in the woods. He targets people who won't be missed. Hitchhikers, stranded moTorysts. He asks them a couple of questions. If they fit the profile, he kills them. And if not, he's just some good Samaritan giving them a ride. That's why he didn't kill me. It would've attracted attention. Thirty years. How many times do you think he did this? Ten? Twenty? A hundred? I should've found a way to stop him."

"Castle, you were 11 years old. And what happened to you back then was terrible. And I know that you're thinking of this case as a way to exorcise those demons, but we don't know what we have here. We don't even know if this is the same person," my aunt said.

"Of course it's the same person! See, Emma must've been able to do what I never could. She tracked him down. That's why he went after her. I have to find this guy, Kate. I need to end this."

Ryan and Esposito walked in and my aunt asked them, "Guys, is there any way to check police records from 30 years ago? See if there were any abandoned cars ticketed within a 50-mile radius of Hollander's Woods?"

"Sure. We just have to call all the municipal police departments in the area…" Esposito answered.

"And wait for them to stop laughing long enough to beg them to check their dusty storage rooms," Ryan stated before he saw the looks given from my aunt and uncle, "You're serious?"

"We need to know exactly what we're dealing with, here. So, happy manniversary," aunt Kate said.

They walked away to get on the new task they were just placed with, and then Captain Gates came out of her office and said, "Detective Beckett. A word."

My aunt gave a look to Castle before she went to Gates office, leaving the two of us alone. Castle kept analyzing the investigation board, and I said from beside him, "We're going to find him Castle."

"What if we don't?" Castle said with a sigh.

"We will… The precinct has you and you have them, we're going to catch him."

"I hope we do mini Beckett. I won't let him hurt anymore people."

I nodded my head as I continued to watch Castle try to figure out this case that he desperately wants to solve.

Aunt Kate returned after her brief meeting with the captain, and we walked through the precinct as she told us what the captain said. Apparently, aunt Kate has a performance review tonight, but she has no clue what it could possibly be for since it's not dealing with her captain's exam.

"Well, maybe it's good news. Maybe you're getting an award, too. Career achievement in homicide," Castle said.

"Yeah," she mumbled.

"Okay, it's probably not that. But still, it could be good news."

"Well, then why is my cop sense telling me it's bad?"

Tory came around the corner and said, "Hey, guys. Got something."

We went with Tory and she said, "I was running those license plates on Emma's list, seeing if any of the owners have criminal backgrounds, when I noticed this car, registered to an address right down the street from the coffee shop where Emma went the day she was killed."

"She was surveilling that car," Castle said.

"She must've thought it was the one that Zoey got into at the truck stop," my aunt suggested.

"And when the owner of the car realized she was onto him, he went after her."

"Whose car is it?"

"That's the weird thing. It belongs to this woman," Tory said as she brought up the information.

" _Connie Lewis_ ," my aunt read.

"But she's 72 and has no criminal record."

"What's her address?"

Castle and Aunt Kate went to go talk to the woman whose car Emma was following. Once again, I had to say back at the precinct and wait to hear what happened.

* * *

They came back a little while later, and to find out the lady who was tracked down was dead, and her son's been hiding out with her still in the house, and escaped the grasps of the NYPD.

Esposito placed a photo of the man on the investigation board, and said, "Noah Lewis, 52. Did a stint in the Army back in the '90s. Has no recent record of employment. He told the neighbors that his mother was bedridden and that he was taking care of her."

"So they just assumed that he was the good son," my aunt said.

"Yeah, but the relationship was far from rosy. Four years ago, his mother had him committed to a state mental institution after he threatened her with a knife. So, I got in touch with the state-appointed shrink who's treating him. He says that Noah has borderline personality disorder and exhibited violent tendencies."

"So it's him. Any record of where he was 30 years ago?" Castle asked.

"We're a little bit more focused on where he is now. We have teams still combing the neighborhood. Put out a BOLO, but so far, nothing."

Ryan came over to us and said, "Your theory about the killer's MO may have just paid off."

"You found something?" my aunt asked Ryan.

"Yeah, from February of '83. The day after you saw that body, police ticketed an abandoned pickup truck they saw by the roadside, near Hollander's Woods. The truck belonged to a farmer, who'd loaned it to a young woman, a migrant worker, to go out and make a supply run. When the cops told the farmer that they'd found his truck, he assumed that she'd just run off."

"So he never reported her missing," Castle mumbled.

"No. He didn't want to get her in trouble with immigration."

"Did he remember who she was?"

"Yeah, and he had a photo," Ryan said as he handed a photo to Castle.

"What was her name?"

"Rosalita Campo."

"We'll dig deeper into Noah, see if we can connect him to that area 30 years ago," Esposito said before he walked away with Ryan to dig up some more information.

"We'll find him, Castle. I promise," my aunt said as she placed a hand on his shoulder, "I'm supposed to head off to my review. Do you want me to postpone?"

"Uh, no, I should go with you," he said.

"I'll be all right. I'll call you when I'm done, okay?"

"Okay."

"All right, bye." She said as she kissed his cheek.

"Bye."

"Bye, Em," she said as she gave me a kiss on the forehead.

"Bye."

Castle continued to stare at the picture of the woman he saw in the woods so many years ago, and it was great that he finally had answers, but we still needed to catch this killer. I decided to break Castle from his trance and said, "Ready to go home Uncle Rick?"

Castle looked up from the picture and said, "Yeah, let's go home."

* * *

It was finally morning, and I went downstairs to make a quick breakfast and head to school. When I reached the kitchen, my aunt and Castle were dressed and getting ready to head out.

"Did you find the killer yet?" I asked.

"Uh, well sort of," my aunt answered.

"We tracked down Noah Lewis, but we're still not sure if he's the one. There was no evidence in the car or house to suspect him, and he also has an alibi from the murder I witnessed when I was younger," Castle said.

"Now, we're going to go talk to his shrink, and get some more information on him."

"Oh…" they started to leave and I said, "Aunt Kate?"

"Yes, Em."

"How'd your meeting go?"

"I'll tell you later."

"But…"

"Later."

"Fine."

"Bye, Em."

"Bye."

They left, and I continued to make my bowl of cereal before heading off to a boring day of school.

* * *

I got home later that afternoon, and found Castle pondering his thoughts as he stood in his office. I went up to him and asked, "Are you okay?"

"Hi, mini Beckett. I'm just trying to figure out this case," he said.

"I thought you guys already had the suspect."

"I don't think it's him. I think it's his shrink, but…"

"No one believes you."

"Exactly."

Just then aunt Kate walked into the room, holding a folded piece of paper in her hand, "I'm sorry. You said it was him. I believe you."

"Except you're right. There's nothing we can do. We'd have to sit on him for years, hoping he makes a move. This is not how this story was supposed to end."

"I was thinking, how did he make those victims disappear without a trace?"

"Well, he would have had to have taken them somewhere."

"Somewhere his family didn't know about."

"He'd have to have a lair. A storage space, somewhere."

"Too many things could go wrong. There could be a flood, a nosy manager. He would have to find a place over which he had absolute control. So I did a property search. It came up empty on him, but I did find this."

She handed Castle the paper and he read out, "Farmland?"

"Yeah. Owned by Holtzman's parents, both deceased. It's in a trust. Holtzman is listed as the sole trustee. It's possible his wife doesn't know about it."

"It's only a few miles from where Emma was hit by that truck."

"Tax records show that there's a barn on the property."

"He must've held her there. It's private, in the middle of nowhere. The perfect lonely place."

"Only I would never get a warrant. And if I searched it without one, then any evidence I would find would be inadmissible."

"'Cause you're a cop."

"But you're not. It would be trespassing. You would be breaking the law. But if you found something… And I know how much this means to you. So whatever you decide, I will back your play."

"I want to do this. I need to."

"I understand."

"Let's go."

Before I could even get a word out my aunt said sternly, "No."

"But I…" I stammered out.

"No. I don't want you involved in this. Stay here and do your homework."

As they started to leave for the farmhouse, I grumbled out, "This sucks."

"You'll get over it," I heard my aunt call out.

I smirked to myself, not thinking my aunt would hear what I said. When I heard the door shut behind them, I decided to do the homework my aunt told me to do because I had nothing better to do anyway. I just hope they come back with all the juicy details, and they tell me all about it.

* * *

Thankfully, everything worked out okay, and Castle was able to take down Dr. Van Holtzman, putting this whole thing to an end. It was a close one for Castle, but luckily, he only ended up with a minor cut on his neck, and was able to kill the Dr. with Aunt Kate's gun. I was happy that everything worked out for the best, and maybe everything will be all right, and nothing bad will happen now that everything is falling into place. Aunt Kates moving forward in her career, and Uncle Rick is receiving an award, it's all going great.

Speaking of Castle's award, that's where we were right now, at his award ceremony and I couldn't be happier to be apart of this. Who would have thought that I would wind up living with the best detective in New York, who might be a future captain, Katherine Beckett. And also, the award-winning novelist, Richard Castle. I know I sure didn't. As I looked around the table, waiting for Castle to receive his award, I saw everyone who I grew to love and a group of people I can call my family. I couldn't be more grateful for what I have, and I don't even want to think what life would be like if my mom was still around. I just know, it wouldn't be nearly as great as this.

A man came up to the podium and started to speak, "Murder, mystery, the macabre. Tonight's honoree has mastered them all. For years he's kept his readers under his spell with his electrifying prose. I'm very proud to present this year's recipient of the Poe's Pen Career Achievement Award, my good friend, Richard Castle."

We all applauded as Castle went up to obtain his award, and he started to give his speech once he reached the podium, "Michael Connelly, ladies and gentlemen. Thank you very much, Michael. And, um, my thanks to all of you for this honor. You know, I've spent a lot of time the last few days thinking about how I got here. The long hours. The blank pages. Most people think that writing is a solitary profession, that we spend our days in our imaginary worlds, fighting, loving, dying. But we don't do it alone. Because anything that's good in our writing comes from truth. And the truth is, I'm here because of the people in my life."

He started to look around our table, and acknowledged each person in his life, "Mother, you will always be a star in my eyes. And, Alexis, you amaze me every day. You two are my redheaded pillars of unconditional love. To my friends at the 12th Precinct, you let me in. Especially, you two, Javier, Kevin. You made me your brother-in-arms, and I thank you for that. Emily, you came into my life unexpectedly, but you make everyday a new adventure, and I'm happy to have adopted you and to have you as a part of my family. And, Kate. Seven years ago, I thought I would never write again, and then you walked through the door, and my whole world changed. You were right. You said I had no idea. But now I do. This is because of you. Because of us. Always."

We all applauded once again, and Castle smiled brightly as he looked around the room.

Eventually, most people started to leave the event, but our table was still

"That was a lovely speech, darling," Mrs. Rodgers said as she patted her sons hand.

"Oh, well, I was inspired," he said as he placed an arm around my aunt.

"Castle, who's gonna be your inspiration if Beckett becomes state senator?" Esposito asked.

"Yeah. You won't be able to follow her around anymore," Lannie said.

"Oh, I don't know. Maybe I'll right about a young girl who seems to find danger everywhere she goes."

"Hey…" I groaned out.

Everyone chuckled and he said, "Maybe I'll write a political thriller next."

"Ooh, I would so read that," Jenny said.

"Beckett, if you do run, I'll help with your campaign," Alexis said.

"Thank you," my aunt said.

"It's a pretty big step, Kate. Have you decided what you're going to do?" Captain Gates asked.

"Not yet. But whatever it is, I'm looking forward to the adventure."

"One thing's for sure. Things are gonna change," Ryan said.

"Well, I know one thing that'll never change. What we all have. A toast. To us," Castle said as he raised his champagne glass.

We all raised our glasses, of course I had water, and we said, "To us!"

We all drank a sip of our drinks, and aunt Kates phone started to beep, indicating a new message.

"It's the precinct. There's been a murder," she said as she read the message.

Everyone started to get up from their seats, so we could head out and let the 12th precinct do what they do best, solve crimes and save the lives of millions of people.


	69. Chapter 69

AN: Thank's to everyone for following, favouring, and reviewing this story. Here's the next chapter everybody, enjoy. Don't forget to Review. :)

Disclaimer: I do not own Castle or it's characters.

* * *

A Birthday Wish

Today was a very special day, why you may ask, because it was my birthday. Not that any birthday isn't special, because I'm another year older and alive, but I'm finally a teenager. It's pretty crazy that I'm actually a teenager now, and I don't feel much different, but I'm sure that'll all change eventually. I hope aunt Kate and uncle Rick are ready for my angsty teen years. Actually, I don't even think I'm ready for my angsty teen years, hopefully I don't go through that, but who knows.

I made my way downstairs and there was nobody there. I saw a note on the kitchen counter, and noticed that it was addressed to me. I read through the note and it said, " _Castle and I had to go to a crime scene. Don't get into any trouble, and we'll see you later. Aunt Kate._ "

I sighed and made myself some breakfast before heading off to school. It was okay that no one was home to wish me a happy birthday, I'm sure that tonight we'll have a special little party to celebrate my birthday. So, I went off to school, and found Mike hanging by my locker. I made my way up to him and said, "Hi, Mike."

"Hey, Emmy. Guess what?" Mike asked.

"What?"

"I heard Mr. Grey is out today, so we have a substitute teacher for Geography class. I also heard that she is super nice, so we probably won't even have to do any work."

"Well that's cool. That has to be one awesome thing to happen so far for my birthday."

"Your birthday isn't until…" Mike checked his phone and continued, "Today… Oh, shoot. I'm so sorry Emmy. I completely forgot."

"It's fine, so far no one has told me happy birthday," I said with a shrug.

"Well, happy birthday Emmy. I'll give you my extra cinnamon bun that I brought for lunch."

"No, that's okay. I see the way the cinnamon bun ends up by lunch time, and it's not appetizing."

"Hey, it still tastes good even if it looks like a big smooshed piece of mush."

"Whatever you say, Mike."

"Your loss."

* * *

School eventually ended and it was a pretty boring day to be honest, not that most school days aren't, but today had to take the cake. It could have been because I was thinking about my birthday today, and how bad I wanted to go home, but who knows. We even had a pop quiz in our math class, and it was super hard. I just hope I had enough birthday mojo in me to nail it. I walked home quickly and when I made my way inside, it was completely empty like this morning. I sighed and decided to call out to see if I was truly alone, "Is anyone home?"

"Mini Beckett, your home," Castle said as he walked in from his office.

"Hi, Castle. Did you guys solve the case?" I asked.

"No, we haven't. I was actually about to head back to the precinct because they got a lead."

"Oh, that's cool. Can I come?"

"Sorry Emily, I have strict orders to not let you come with me."

"Why?"

"It's a pretty serious case that we're working on, and it's pretty hectic down at the precinct. Your aunt doesn't want any trouble on her hands, even I had a hard time convincing her to let me stay."

"Got it…"

"Sorry Mini Beckett. Maybe the next one."

"Yeah… Do you have anything else to tell me before you leave?"

Castle went into thinking mode, and I raised a brow as he continued to think about my question. Castle shook his head and said, "Not that I'm aware of. Oh, but Alexis won't be home tonight she's hanging with some of her friends, and my mother is having some kind of party for their play opening in a couple of weeks. So, you may be spending your night alone if Kate and I are still working this case."

"That's it?" I questioned.

"Well, yes… Why?"

"It's nothing. Have fun solving the case."

"Okay… I really am sorry mini Beckett. Maybe we can hang out this weekend."

"Sure, I'd like that."

Castle gave me a sad smile, not knowing why I was truly hurt inside, and he left the loft. A small tear rolled down my face and I couldn't believe no one remembered my birthday today. I felt like Molly Ringwald in the movie _Sixteen Candles_. I know things have been kind of crazy lately, and everyone's been busy, but even a quick happy birthday would've been nice. Maybe I shouldn't get to upset about it, it happens to us all right, and it's not like I haven't gotten any birthday wishes before, especially when my mother was around. She'd usually remember my birthday five months after it's gone past, but I was fine with that, I just grew accustomed to it.

I wiped my tears and tried to cheer myself up, telling myself that it was all right, and I'm sure they'll remember it tomorrow. I decided to do my homework and browse the internet until someone came home, but from what Castle said, it didn't sound like anyone was going to be home tonight. So, it looks like it's going to be one long and boring birthday night for me, yay.

* * *

I ate supper alone and now I was watching a marathon of one of my favorite shows as I chilled at home. I pretty much forgot about today as I watched my favorite character tell a lame joke to the lead character. The show was helping me cope until I got a phone call from my aunt Kate. I picked up the phone and said, "Are you coming home?"

"That's why I called, it looks like we're going to be stuck here a little longer. You'll probably be asleep by the time we get home. Let me rephrase that, you should be asleep by the time we get home," my aunt said on the other end of the line.

"That sucks."

"I know it does Em, but you know how this job is."

"Yes, I know."

"I'll see you tomorrow, okay?

"See you tomorrow. But before you hang up, is there anything else you want to say to me?"

"Um, not really. Why? Did you do something wrong?"

"What!? No… Not today anyway."

She chuckled and said, "Well, that's a relief. Seriously though, is there something wrong Em?"

"No, there's nothing wrong. I'm fine. See you tomorrow," I said sadly.

"Em…"

I hung up the phone before my aunt could say anything else and started crying again. Everyone really did forget my birthday. I was hoping that it might have been a prank they were trying to pull on me, but then I realized it wasn't, they really forgot. I tried to not let it get to me like this, but after five years with everyone caring for me, and making me feel like a normal child, it really stung. It felt like I was alone all over again, and no one cared about me. I know it might be stupid to think that way, because they all love me deeply, but I felt left out today, when I was hoping it was going to be a special thirteenth birthday. I thought Castle would make some funny jokes about me being a teenager, and Aunt Kate being nervous about me entering my rebellious and angsty teen years, even if it's kind of stereotypical. I was truly looking forward to that, and hanging out with my family and friends of course.

But the worst part is, if everyone's already so busy now, what will happen in the future. Aunt Kate might run for senate, and that's going to be a lot of work, and even if she doesn't, she'll possibly wind up becoming a captain of her own precinct, and will still be way too busy for me. Of course, I still have everyone else, but they're all moving on with their lives too, and I'll be left in the dust, all alone to deal with my future teenage problems. I might be overreacting just a tad, but it's something like this that really makes you think about the impending future.

Since it was getting late, and my birthday would be ending within a couple of hours, why not celebrate it with myself at least. I went into the kitchen and looked through several drawers until I found what I was looking for, a lighter and a birthday candle. We didn't really have any sweet treats in the house, but I did manage to scrounge up two Twinkies that we had left. I put the Twinkies together and placed the candle in the middle of one of them, before lighting it up with the lighter. I watched the candle burn for a few seconds and wondered what I was going to wish for.

I finally figured out my wish and said out loud, "I wish I knew what life would be like in an alternate universe… Maybe people would actually remember my birthday."

I blew out my candles, and then the lights flickered in Castle's loft. I furrowed my brows and looked around the room.

"Well, that's creepy," I mumbled before I took out the candle and started eating my Twinkies.

Once I was done, I headed up to bed to get some sleep, and to forget about the terrible birthday I had today.

* * *

"Casey, it's time to get up," I heard a woman's voice say.

I cracked an eye open and noticed that I wasn't in my room. I shot straight up and looked around the room, noticing that it wasn't my room or even Castle's loft for that matter. I looked out the window of the room I was in and found out that I wasn't even in New York anymore, far from it from what I can tell. If my guess was correct, it looked more like California. But how did this happen? Was there something trippy in my Twinkies last night? Maybe this is just a really weird dream.

I pinched myself to see if I was dreaming, but all it did was hurt, making a small red mark on my skin, and not even waking me up. I groaned and turned to find myself staring into a mirror, at a reflection that I didn't recognize. My eyes went wide, and I couldn't stop staring at my new reflection. Then it hit me, like a ton of bricks. I made a wish last night, a pretty insane wish now that I think about it, but who would have thought it would come true. Not me apparently, because then I would have never made that wish, well maybe.

A knock sounded on my door and the same voice from earlier said, "Casey, are you awake? We'll have to leave soon."

I opened the door cautiously and asked, "Who are you?"

The woman chuckled with a confused face and said, "I'm your mother silly. What's gotten into you? Your about to turn thirteen tomorrow and you're already acting strange."

"Oh, I'm sorry mom. I just had a very… weird… dream last night."

"Must have been if you don't even remember your own mother. Anyway, get ready. We have to be on the set soon, or I'll be in huge trouble. We'll just eat some breakfast at the catering table."

"What?"

"You don't have school today, so I'm taking you to work with me. That must have been some dream, huh?"

"Yeah… It must have."

"Well, get dressed and we'll leave in a bit."

"Okay."

She gave me a quick kiss on the temple and left, leaving me standing at the door dumbfounded and confused. My mother worked at a studio and worked on a set with actors? Which is pretty sweet I must admit, but I still miss my aunt Kate and uncle Rick. I must have been out of my mind when I made that wish last night, but seriously, I never would have believed that something like this would happen.

* * *

I got dressed, and as soon as I found my way downstairs and to the living room, my "mother" and I headed to the set she worked on. I couldn't stop looking out the car window with amazement, since I've only been out of New York a couple of times, and it was only the north east United States, this was a true sight to see. It was so sunny and nice out, and all of the palm trees were swaying in a calm breeze, it made me feel like I was on vacation. We pulled into the studio lot, and I couldn't believe that I was on a set of some television show. Not that it was the first time, because my aunts job has taken me to quite a few, but this seemed different somehow.

I got out of the car, and followed my mother closely, so I didn't get into any trouble with her. I hardly knew her and I was not winding up on her bad side. She led me to a small trailer area and said, "Okay, I need to help get everything ready for wardrobe. Can you go hang out on the morgue set while I help out? You can even help yourself to the food at the catering table if you want."

"Sure, I'll go do that," I said.

"Great, I'll see you later."

"See you."

I started walking around the building and found the sets of the show my mother was working for. The first set that I found looked oddly familiar to me, and I stopped in my tracks. I looked over the whole interior and it looked exactly like Castle's loft. What was the inside of my uncle's loft doing on a television set? I was super confused and didn't know what to think. I was brought out of my thoughts when I heard a man say behind me, "Isn't it neat?"

I jumped at the sudden voice and looked to find none other than Castle, looking at me with a half-eaten apple in his hand.

"Castle?" I questioned the man.

He chuckled at me and said, "I see we have a little fan on set today."

"Fan?"

"Yeah, don't you watch the show?"

"What show?'

"Castle… That's the name of my show. I play the lead character Richard Castle, a ruggedly handsome writer who gets inspiration for his new novels, Nikki Heat, by following around an attractive female detective, Kate Beckett."

"Right… So, you're just an actor?"

He chuckled again with confusion and said, "Well, yeah. It's just a show."

"Nathan, what are you doing?" I heard his mother say from behind him.

"Nothing, Susan. I was just talking to this young fan who wandered on set."

"Oh, hello. I'm Susan, I play Mrs. Rodgers on the show, it's nice to meet you."

"Hi, I'm Casey and my mother works here," I said to her.

"Really? That's a relief, I thought I'd have to get security," the man named Nathan said.

"Well, I hope you have fun on set today. We're shooting some fun scenes today, but I must be off, I have to go to wardrobe."

She walked away, leaving the fake Castle and I alone in the fake loft. He smiled softly at me and said, "So, where were you headed Casey?"

"I was heading to the morgue, but I'm not sure where it is."

"That's okay, I can show you. I don't have to be in wardrobe or hair and makeup for another hour or so."

"Thanks."

"No problem."

He started leading the way, saying hello to random people we passed in the hall, and I asked, "What's the deal with the morgue?"

"That's where most of the extras and crew members hang out when we're not shooting, or if they are waiting for their scene to get called on. A little place to relax before they have to work."

"Got it. And you guys hang out in your trailers."

"Precisely, but we tend to hang out there too. The whole cast and crew are like one big family."

"Interesting. Can I ask you something?"

"Sure thing."

"Promise you won't think I'm crazy."

"All right. Go ahead."

"What if I wasn't from this world and made a really terrible wish?"

"Hmm… that would be something."

"Seriously, though. Where I'm from you're my Aunts husband, Castle. My aunt is Katherine Beckett. My name is Emily Beckett. You gotta believe me."

He laughed and said, "Whoa, now Casey. I don't think that's possible. Maybe you've been reading too much fanfiction, or you have a very active imagination. This show isn't real."

"You don't believe me…"

"Sorry kid, but things like that don't happen in real life. Only in television, movies, and books."

"I guess so."

He stopped at the morgue and said, "Here you are. Sorry to burst your bubble like that, but it's true. Maybe you can come watch us film later, and have some fun."

"That sounds nice."

"Well, I'll see you around Casey."

He walked off, and I sighed sadly. How was I ever going to get back when no one's going to believe me. Someone tapped me on the shoulder and I looked up to see detective Ryan smiling down at me.

"Hi Casey, are you okay?" he asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine," I whispered out.

"Okay, but if you need anyone to talk to, you can come to me."

"She's not going to come talking to you, Seamus," Esposito said as he walked up with a cup of coffee.

"Hey, the kid's sad. I just want her to feel at ease and to know that she has someone to come too if she needs comfort."

"Sure, she wants a thirty-eight-year-old man she barely knows, to comfort her when she's sad."

"Like she'd go to you for comfort, Jon."

"No, I barely know the kid."

"Well, she knows me."

"Do you know him?"

"Um, not that I know of," I replied.

"See."

"We met twice. Your mother works in the wardrobe department. I even helped you with your English homework a few weeks ago," Seamus said.

"Sorry, I don't really remember that," I said.

"Ha, that's funny," Jon said as he tapped Seamus on the chest with the back of his hand.

"Oh, yeah… That's fine. I forget things too… sometimes," Seamus said.

"Yeah, like your lines."

"Who was the one who made us shoot for an extra hour last week because he couldn't get his lines together."

"That was one night, and I was tired."

"Mmm-hmm… Sure."

Seamus started to walk away, and Jon followed after him, saying something to him that made Seamus glare at his friend. I watched the two men walk down the hall and said, "Well, at least their chummy in this life too."

I decided to head inside the morgue and found a whole bunch of people on their electronic devices while eating some food, drinking coffee or other beverages. I found a seat for myself, away from everyone, and decided to check the cell phone that I had. It took me several attempts to unlock the phone, but I finally figured out the password, and I was allowed to explore it without any other issues. I decided to go on the internet and look up the show called " _Castle_ ". It seemed pretty funny, and it reminded me of where I once was. Even some of the episodes sounded like things that truly happened in my world.

I looked up the actress who played my aunt Kate and found that it was some woman named Stana Katic. She was extremely pretty, and looked just like my aunt Kate. I wondered if I'd meet the woman, that she'd recognize me somehow, or think she's seen me before in another life. It was worth a shot, but I doubted it, especially since Castle didn't even know me.

After I finished looking the show up, I decided to do some research on birthday wishes and other strange phenomenon's on entering another dimension. Most of the results came up with movie and book info, but I had a few sites that gave me some decent information. I also ran across a couple of sites that looked like it was created by some whack job from who knows where, and wrote a bunch of gibberish on a website.

The best thing I could come up with through every website I came across, was to reenact everything that I did that night, including the whole wish part. The only problem was, how was I going to sneak onto set, in the middle of the night, and reenact everything that I did that night. Of course, I'm no stranger to getting into trouble and doing these sorts of things, but I don't know how lenient this world will be to my law-breaking shenanigans.

As I continued to go through hundreds of websites, some guy came into the room and said, "South end, we're ready for you on set."

Half of the people in the room got up and started to make their way out of the room. I watched as they left, while the rest of the extras and crew members continued to drink their morning beverages and typed away on their electronic devices. As I continued to look around the room, most of the people actually looked quite familiar to me, and I remembered them bustling about the precinct and at different crime scenes. This alternate reality sure is strange, at least stranger than the one I was stuck in with Castle not too long ago. At least in that reality everyone knew who I was, but here, it's like I'm a complete stranger to everyone. I just need to come up with a concrete plan to get out of here, and back to where I truly belong.

Casey's mom, or should I say my mom, came into the morgue set, and walked over to me. She smiled happily when she reached me, and asked, "Did you get some breakfast?"

"No, not yet, I wasn't really hungry," I said.

"Oh, that's okay. I was heading there right now, if you want to come."

"Sure, why not."

She nodded, still having a smile on her face, and I followed behind her closely as she led me to the catering table. When we got there, I saw another very familiar face, which happened to be Alexis. Of course, she wasn't really Alexis, just the actress who played her, and if I recall from the cast list I was reading earlier, her name was Molly. When we got up to the table, my mom said to the girl, "Good morning Molly. Ready to film today?"

"Yeah, I can't wait. The scenes today are going to be really fun from what I can remember," Molly said before she smiled at me and asked, "Is this your daughter?"

"Yes, this is my daughter Casey. She had off from school today, so I thought she could tag along."

"Nice to meet you Casey. I hope you're having fun here on set."

"Nice to meet you too. It's been pretty cool seeing the set and other actors," I said, trying hard to not be weird about it.

"Great, maybe you can watch us film a couple of scenes."

"That'd be awesome."

"Yes, that would be. I'm sure we'll be watching a few," my mom said.

"Hey, whatcha guys doing?" I heard Nathan ask from beside us.

"Nothing, I was just meeting Diana's daughter," Molly said.

"Oh yeah, I met her earlier. Interesting kid, and has quite the imagination."

My face froze from what he just said, now I'm going to look foolish in front of everyone because I think I live in another dimension, even though I do.

"What do you mean?" my mom asked with a chuckle.

"Well, when I ran into her earlier, she told me that she was in this show. Like she was actually a part of it for real, and Beckett was actually her aunt," he answered her.

"Really? Why would you think that?"

I scratched the back of my neck nervously, and thought up a lie, "I think I was still in a weird haze after waking up from my crazy dream this morning. I think that's what the dream was about actually, me being in this show, and Kate being my aunt."

"Wow, that's some dream," Molly said.

"Yeah, it is. You do know it was just a dream, right?" my mom asked.

"Oh, yeah… Once I fully woke up while sitting in the morgue set, my senses were coming back," I said with a nervous chuckle.

"That's a relief. I thought you were fully serious earlier, especially since you were so adamant about the whole thing," Nathan said.

"Yeah, sorry about that. Just one weird morning that's all."

"I know how those are. Well, I'll catch up with you all later, I think I'm going to be filming soon, so I better get going before I get in trouble… again."

Nathan walked away and Molly said, "I should go too. I want to look over my lines a few more times before they call for me. See you guys later."

We waved goodbye to her as she left, and my mom said, "You seemed to have an eventful morning."

"I guess I did," I said.

"Maybe some food will help you out."

"Sure, I could eat now."

My mother handed me a paper plate, and grabbed one for herself, before we started digging through the packed catering table for something to eat. I decided to get a few pieces of fruit, along with a croissant, and ham. Once we fixed up our plate, we both grabbed a water bottle from the small table next to the catering table. I followed my mother back to the morgue, and we sat down to eat our food, which is exactly what I needed to help me think about what I'm going to do.

* * *

After several boring hours of hanging out on set, killing my phones battery in the meantime, they were finally shooting their last scene for the day, and my mom offered me to go watch. I decided to go see what they were doing, and maybe I can meet the Stana Katic who plays my aunt Kate. We went through several other sets until we reached the set they were filming on, which happened to be the precinct. They were all preparing for the scene and I could see Ryan and Esposito chatting with each other as they looked over a script, Castle was sitting on a desk checking his phone, and then I saw my aunt getting some extra makeup put on her as she talked with someone who probably works behind the scenes.

I was pretty sure she wasn't going to recognize me, but it was worth a shot, so I planned to go talk to her once they finished filming this last scene. Some guy walked in, whom I'm guessing was the director, and he said, "Okay, let's get started and then we'll call it a day."

Everyone bustled about, finding their marks, as they whispered quietly to one another. Once everyone was in position, the director said, "Okay, quiet on set please… and action."

They ran through the scene quite a few times because a few of their actors fumbled their lines or made goofy faces that everyone started laughing at, but they finally got a good take, and everyone was dismissed for the day. I decided that this was my chance to talk to the woman who played my aunt and went over to her as she talked with Ryan and Esposito.

"Hi, you guys were great," I said, trying not to be creepy about this.

"Aww thanks, we appreciate that," she said with a small smile.

"Oh, that's Diana's kid from wardrobe," Ryan, well Seamus, said.

"Yeah, we ran into her this morning," Jon said.

"It's nice meeting you. I hope you enjoyed your time," Stana said.

"Yeah, it was great," I said.

"I hope to see you around again, but I have to go, I'm late for dinner with some friends."

We all said goodbye to her and Jon said, "I guess it is that time. Want to go get some grub, Seamus?"

"Sure, as long as you're paying," he said with a smirk.

"Heck no, you pay for your own meal."

"If I recall, I paid for our last dinner out."

"I forgot my wallet."

"Yeah, and you said you'd pay me back. It's been four months and I haven't seen a dime."

"All right fine, I'll pay."

"Great," Seamus smiled at me and said, "See you around Casey."

"Bye," I said

"Nice meeting you today Casey," Jon said.

"Same to you."

They walked away and my mom came over and said, "I have to finish organizing wardrobe, and then we'll go home and have dinner. Sound good?"

"Yep, sounds good."

* * *

Eventually we drove home, and Casey's mom whipped up a quick dinner which tasted delicious. I might not like this life much, but the food is sure great. As we sat at our dining table with empty plates, my mother said, "Did you have a good time today?"

"I did, thanks for bringing me mom," I said.

"No problem, I'm sure I'll take you again sometime."

"Great. Can I ask you a question?"

"Yeah, what is it?"

"Do I have a bike?"

She chuckled at me and said, "Yes, Old Red. It's been your favorite for years, why?"

"I just wanted to go out for a ride tomorrow. Do you remember where it is?"

"It's in the garage like it always is. Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yep, I'm positive. It's been awhile since I used Big Red."

"Old Red, and you rode it two days ago to school."

"Right… I forgot about that."

"Sure, maybe you should get some rest. It seems you've had a long day today."

"Maybe you're right, I am pretty beat."

"Okay, get some rest sweetie. I'll clean these dishes up and I'll see you tomorrow."

"Yup, see you tomorrow."

"Oh, and it's your birthday tomorrow. I can't believe you're going to be a teenager."

"Me either. Time goes by quick."

"It sure does. Goodnight Casey."

"Night mom."

I went to Casey's room, and started charging my dead cell phone, so I could use the map when I decide to orchestrate my plan later tonight. As I waited for my mother to fall asleep, I decided to go through my plan several times, so I knew exactly what I was doing. By the time I thought my plan through, it was pretty late, and after midnight, so it was officially Casey's birthday. I peeked out the door of my room, and noticed all the lights in the house were off, and the only lights I saw were the ones coming from the street lamps outside, shining through the windows. I grabbed the phone from the charger, putting in the directions of the studio, and went downstairs and to the garage. It took me several attempts to find the door to the garage, but eventually I found it and I was closer to putting my plan in action.

I turned on the flashlight from my phone, and looked around the garage until I found what I was looking for, Old Red. I grabbed the bike, which wasn't in great condition, but it still looked good enough to ride. I went over to the garage door, and lifted it carefully, so I didn't make enough noise to wake Casey's mother. I cracked the garage door open enough for the bike and I to get out, and thankfully it didn't squeak as much as I thought it would when I put it up, so that was a relief. I left the garage, and made sure to shut the door before I headed off to the studio where they shoot _Castle_.

I snuck passed the security booth, and went through each lot until I found the stage that I was in earlier today. I placed the bike against the wall next to the door that lead inside to the set of _Castle_ , and I snuck inside. Even though the emergency lights were on to get from point A to point B, it wasn't enough for me to find the set of Castle's loft. I turned my phone light on, and started wandering around the dark and quiet set, trying to find the place I was looking for.

Eventually I reached Castle's loft and I dug around the room to find anything that might help me get back to my normal life. The place was pretty much empty, except for a few random props hidden in different compartments of the set. I groaned, giving up on ever getting back to my world, and rested my head against the fake refrigerator in the fake loft. As I tried to figure out what to do next, a bright light was flashed in my face, and I squinted at the uniformed security guard. The guard walked over to me and I smiled nervously knowing that I was in very big trouble.

"Who are you and what are you doing in here?" the man asked.

"My name is Em… Casey. My mother works here in the wardrobe department, and um… I thought I left something here while I was on set today," I said.

"What's your mother's name?"

"My mother's name…" I thought hard about the question, trying to remember if someone mentioned her name, then I remembered Alexis and Ryan mentioning her name, "Her name is Diana."

"Diana… Diana, what?"

Great, I never did get a last name, and I chuckled nervously at the security guard, "Well, it's a funny story. You see, I don't know my last name. It's been a pretty crazy 14hrs, and it's hard to explain, but yeah… I don't know it."

The guard kept looking at me with a stone-cold glare, and he grabbed my arm and said, "You're coming with me."

"We're not going to the slammer, are we?"

"No, we're going to the security room, and you're going to call your mother."

"Ahh… Got it. I'd say that's even worse," I said with another chuckle.

I earned another glare, so I put my head down and I decided to stay silent as we walked the rest of the way to the security room. When we got there, he sat me down in one of the chairs in the room, and said, "Give me your mothers number."

"Sure, thing," I said as I pulled out my cell phone, and looked for the contact labeled "Mother". When I finally found it, I gave it to the man, "Here it is, 555-123-4321."

He dialed it into their landline, and put it on speaker once it started to ring. After a few rings, Casey's mother picked up and said, "Hello, who is this?"

"This is Fred Bailor, I'm a security guard at Raleigh Studios," he said.

"Oh, Fred? What are you calling for?"

"Do I know you?"

"I've been working there for eight years, on several different shows. _Castle_ being the main one. I see you every morning."

"Wait, is this Diana Higgles."

"Yes."

"Higgles?" I whispered to myself.

What kind of last name is Higgles? I guess I shouldn't be too judgmental of the name, it could be worse, and I bet we all have weird names according to others.

"I have your daughter here, she snuck into the studio, and broke into the set of _Castle_."

"I didn't break in. I did sneak in, and trespass, but I did not break… The door was already unlocked," I chimed in.

"Casey Amelia Higgles, what in god's name are you doing down there?" my mother yelled at me from the phone.

"I thought I left something on set."

"You could have waited until tomorrow to get it, I would've brought you back down. Not breaking and entering on your thirteenth birthday."

"Yeah, I should have done that."

"Are you coming down to get her?" Frank asked with a hint of annoyance in his voice.

"Yes, I'll be there as soon as possible," she said.

"Great, we'll be in the security office."

"Okay, see you soon."

She hung up, and then he did the same. He sat down in another chair and put his feet up on the desk in front of him, while giving me side glances before he started reading a newspaper. I slumped down in my seat, and wondered if I'd ever get out of this nightmare.

* * *

A little while later, Diana arrived and she didn't look to happy to see her daughter, me, sitting in the security office of where she worked. She talked to the security guard for a few minutes before she took me and the bike back home. When we got back home, she sat me down on the couch and paced in front of me as she thought about what she wanted to say. This moment made me think of how many times I was in a similar predicament with my aunt Kate, who I missed dearly, even in these kinds of moments right here.

"Why were you down there, Casey?" my mother asked me.

"Like I said, I thought I forgot something," I said.

"I doubt that Casey. Frank said he found you in Castle's loft, we weren't even in the loft today."

"I was in there earlier when I was trying to find my way to the morgue."

"What would compel you to sneak out in the middle of the night, and do something like this? This is not like you at all Casey."

"I can't explain it… I don't know."

"Please don't start out your teenage years like this. I don't think I can handle it."

I felt bad for this mother whose daughters body I was currently inhabiting, and turning her life upside down within the last 24 hours. I let out a small sigh and said, "I'm really sorry, mom. I don't know what has gotten into me."

"Me either, but I hope whatever you have going on right now passes, and soon. Why don't you go upstairs and get some sleep?" she asked sadly.

"Okay, goodnight mom."

"Goodnight."

I went upstairs, and sat on Casey's bed for a bit, trying to figure out what I was going to do. There wasn't much left to do, and tonight is pretty much my last shot if I want to get out of here, and if I can't accomplish that, then I'll be stuck here forever.

* * *

The next morning, I woke up to the smell of food, and it smelt delicious. I went downstairs, and found Diana cooking a whole buffet of breakfast food. I looked at all the food on the table and asked, "Is that breakfast?"

"Yes, I decided to cook you a birthday breakfast," she said as she set down a plate of sausages.

"Aren't you still mad at me?"

"Well, yes, I am still disappointed in you for last night. I think I understand though."

"What?"

"Your still upset over your dad dying a few months ago, and this is your first birthday without him."

Wow, that's devastating, and I didn't even know that her dad had died. I felt bad for Casey, but I still needed to get back to my world, so I had to push my emotions aside for now. I nodded my head and said, "I guess it still kind of hurts knowing that he's gone."

"I know, I understand. I still miss him too, but acting out is going to get you nowhere," she said.

"I know, and I am truly sorry."

"I know, come on let's eat."

"Okay, it looks and smells great."

"Well, I hope it tastes great too. Happy Birthday Casey."

"Thanks, mom."

We ate quietly, and the food did taste great, and soon I was stuffed. We sat there in silence for a little while, until Casey's mother broke it, "I have work today, and I was wondering if you'd like to come with or stay here?"

"Do you trust me enough to stay here by myself?" I asked.

"When you put it that way, no. But you've always been a good kid, until last night, so I figured I wouldn't have to worry while I'm gone."

"I understand, but I think I'd like to come with you. I had fun the other day."

"Okay then. Let's get ready, and we'll leave."

I nodded, and headed upstairs to throw on some clothes, so we could go to the studio once again.

* * *

When we got there, it was pretty much the same as yesterday, except we had breakfast this time. I walked through the halls of the stage we were on, and ran into Castle, I mean Nathan, who was heading to the exit of the stage. He gave me a smile and said, "Hey, glad to see you back again."

"Nice seeing you as well," I said.

"Did you here that someone broke in last night?"

"Well… Yes. Mostly because it was me."

"You!?"

"Yes, it was me."

"Why were you breaking in here?"

I sighed and said, "You already don't believe me…"

He put a hand on my shoulder and said, "Hey… don't make that sad, pouty face. It'll be okay. What are you trying to say Casey?"

"I really don't belong here. Don't you believe in people traveling to alternate universes, and things getting messed up in the space-time continuum."

"I… I never thought about it… I mean, maybe."

"You're my only hope at getting out of here. If I don't come here tonight, before midnight and make my wish, I'm going to be stuck in this body forever."

"Why am I your only hope?"

"You seem like the best person to ask for help in this. In my world, Castle would do anything to get to the bottom of things. Plus, you have more influence over the staff here, and could help sneak me inside."

"I don't know about all that, but if you really do belong in another world, I'm all in to help. I may find this just a tad bit crazy, but you seem truly passionate about this."

I threw my arms around the man who portrayed my uncle Castle and said, "Thank you, I promise you won't regret it."

"Hmm… I'm starting to regret it already," he said with a slight chuckle.

I smirked up at him and said, "Don't worry, it'll pass."

"Is there anything else you need besides me sneaking you into the studio tonight?"

"Actually, there is."

"What?"

"Two Twinkies, a plate, a birthday candle, lighter, and I'm pretty sure that's it."

"Okay… I guess I can get that."

"Great, thank you so much Nathan."

"Am I picking you up?"

"Yes, but not at my house. Meet me a few blocks from here, at the gas station, and we'll go from there."

"What time?"

"I guess eleven to be safe. I made the wish just before midnight, so I have to recreate that moment."

"Got it… I won't let you down… Emily?"

I smiled and said, "Yes, that's my name."

He smiled brightly and said, "See I remembered. We'll get you home, I promise."

"Thanks for doing this Nathan. I appreciate it."

"It's no problem. You seem like a smart and cool kid."

"I guess so."

"Hey Emily?"

"Yeah?"

"What's life like in your world?"

I shrugged and said, "I don't know. It's pretty crazy from time to time, with murders and constant drama, but there's also a large family aspect as well."

"From what you've seen, do you think we portray your world well?"

"Yes, I think you all fit perfectly to the characters you play. Which makes me miss them even more."

"Well, I'm glad we could make it real. I hope you can see them all again."

"Me too… Me too."

He looked at his phone and said, "Oh shoot, I have to be in hair and makeup. I'll see you tonight."

"See you then."

He walked away, and I smiled softly to myself. This might be a long shot, but at least I had someone on my side who'll help me try and put my new plan in action. I just hoped this new plan worked better than my other one.

* * *

The day went pretty fast, and now I was pacing in Casey's room, trying to calm my nerves and racing thoughts. There are so many things that can go wrong tonight, and even if one thing backfires, then I'm going to be stuck here for years. I hoped Nathan was really going to do this for me, and hopefully he could grab everything that I asked him for. Once the clock was around 10:50pm I decided to sneak out of Casey's window, and head a few blocks away from the studio, so I could meet up with Nathan.

When I got there, Nathan still wasn't there yet, so I started pacing once again outside of the gas station. I only waited a few minutes before Nathan pulled up in front of me and stepped out of his vehicle. I walked over to him and said, "I'm glad you could make it."

"I wasn't going to let you down. I brought the stuff you needed too," he said with a small smile.

"Thank you."

"Mm-hmm… So, what's the plan."

"Okay, the plan is pretty simple. I hide in the trunk of your car, and you go to the _Castle_ stage, and we head inside to Castle's loft."

"All right, sounds decently easy so far."

"Then we wait until around 11:58pm, and I make a wish as I blow out the candle on the Twinkies."

"Then you go home?"

"That's what I'm hoping for."

"Okay, let's get going then."

Nathan helped me into his trunk, and I felt the car pull off soon after he closed the door. When the car finally stopped, I figured he was at the entrance of the studio. I heard muffled voices and I tried to listen in on what they were saying.

"Frank not in tonight Rafael?" he asked.

"No, not tonight. What are you doing here?" the security guard asked.

"I think I left my cell phone and a few other items on set, or in my trailer."

"Oh okay, take your time Mr. Fillion."

"Thanks Rafael."

Soon the car was pulling off once again, and as soon as it started, it stopped once again. I heard the driver's door shut, and then the trunk was popped open. He helped me out and said, "Were you okay back there?"

"Yes, it was fine. Not my first time in the back of someone's trunk," I said with a small laugh.

"Do I want to know?"

"Probably not."

"Okay, so let's get in before someone sees us."

I nodded and we headed inside the stage where they shot Castle. We made our way to Castle's loft and Nathan placed the bag of items on top of the kitchen isle. I started pulling the items out and recreated the scene of my lonely birthday from a couple of nights ago. I looked at my phones clock, and noticed that we had a few more minutes until I had to make my wish. I looked at Nathan who was looking around nervously and said, "I have one more favor to ask of you."

"Sure, what is it?" he asked.

"I need to be alone. If I want to make this right, no one was around when I made the wish."

"Oh yeah, sure. I'll be by my car if you need me, and if you're not back in your world."

"Okay, thanks again, for everything."

"No problem, Emily."

He left, and there was only one more minute until I had to make my wish. I lit up the candle that was secured between the Twinkies, and closed my eyes.

"I take back my birthday wish. I want to be back home with my Aunt Kate and Uncle Castle. They are my family and I realize I made a stupid mistake," I mumbled and blew out the birthday candle.

The lights flickered and I smiled happily, until they came all the way on and Nathan walked in along with, I'm assuming, Rafael. Nathan gave me a sad smile and said, "He saw you on the monitor."

"Great…" I sighed.

"You're both in some serious trouble," Rafael said.

"Wait, this is my fault, I dragged him into this."

"No, she didn't. It was me," Nathan said.

"I don't care whose fault it is. Neither of you are supposed to be here after hours, and I thought you were just getting some items you left."

"I know, I'm sorry Rafael. Let me bring you some coffee and donuts tomorrow, we don't need to do this right now."

"Bribery isn't going to work."

"Come on Rafael, do you really want to fill out paper work, and have this young girl's mother come all the way down here?"

He sighed as he looked between us and said, "No, not really."

"See, so what do you say?"

"Fine, but if this happens again…" he started and I cut him off, "It won't… I did what I needed to, and it failed."

The security guard gave me a strange look and said, "Okay, both of you leave before I change my mind."

We left the studio, and I was sitting in the front seat of Nathan's car. It was silent until he reached my home, and when he pulled into my driveway, he said, "I'm sorry it didn't work."

"Me too. Now I'm stuck here, and everyone thinks I'm a delinquent and nut case," I said.

"I don't think that. I think you really are who you say you are."

"Thanks, but I guess I'm Casey now."

"Well, you'll always be Emily to me."

I smiled at him and said, "I guess I'll see you around if Casey's not grounded for the rest of her life."

"See you around Emily. Maybe one day you'll get home."

"I sure hope so."

I went to the front door of the house, and looked for a key, so I didn't have to wake up Casey's mother. I didn't want to get into any more trouble than I was already in, especially if I'm going to be stuck here longer then I planned. Once I found a key under a potted plant, I opened the door quietly and snuck upstairs. I was thankful that I didn't wake her, and get caught, but my mind was mostly occupied by the fact that I wasn't where I truly belonged.

I plopped down on Casey's bed and curled up into a ball as I laid in the silence of the night. Tears ran down my face as everything caught up with me, and wished that I never made that stupid birthday wish. It was a terrible wish that I made, and I know that now, and I just wanted to go home. As I laid there, sulking in my room, my eyes started to get heavy, and sleep was starting to overtake me. I decided to close my eyes, and next thing you know, I was out like a light.

* * *

"Emily? Emily wake up," I heard someone say as they shook me.

I blinked my eyes, and looked around my room, my actual room, not Casey's. I turned over and saw my aunt Kate looking at me with a raised brow. I smiled and threw my arms around her, giving her a long and strong hug. She patted me on the back and said, "You okay Em?"

"I'm so happy… I thought I'd never see you again," I said.

"I may not have saw you yesterday, but I don't know about never seeing each other again."

"Let's just say, I made a terrible wish, that turned into a horrible nightmare and I'm glad to be back."

"Well, okay. I guess I don't want to know."

"Well I do," I heard Castle say from my door.

I laughed at him and said, "Long story short, I was stuck in an alternate universe where this was a TV show."

"Really!? Was the guy who played me cool?"

"Yeah, he was pretty cool."

"Sweet."

"What was the wish Emily?" My aunt asked.

I scratched the back of my neck and said, "To know what life was like in another world, where people remembered my birthday."

"Why would you wish something like that?" Castle asked.

"Because you all forgot my birthday yesterday."

They both looked at each other, before aunt Kate looked down at me and said, "I'm sorry Em. I completely forgot. I didn't even realize it."

"Me either. And you even hinted it to me yesterday," Castle said.

"You hinted it to me as well."

I shrugged and said, "Yes, but it doesn't matter anymore. After the dream I just had, I'm just happy to be here with you guys."

"Really?"

"Yep."

"Since we missed your birthday yesterday, what would you like to do," Castle questioned.

"Don't I have to go to school today?"

My aunt pointed at the clock and I noticed that it was almost ten thirty in the morning. I chuckled nervously and said, "I guess I'm late."

"Yep, that's why I came to check on you. I got a phone call from school saying you weren't in class," my aunt said.

"Oh…"

"Anyway, what do you want to do today mini Beckett?" Castle asked once again.

"I think I just want to stay home, and hang out with my family."

"You just want to hang out here… with us?"

"Yes, that's all I need for my birthday. Just some time with my family who cares for me greatly."

My aunt gave me a kiss on the temple and said, "Okay, that sounds good to me."

We went downstairs, and I was left in total shock as I stood on the stairs of Castle's loft. There were some birthday decorations hanging about and Alexis, and Mrs. Rodgers were finishing putting up a happy birthday streamer. Alexis turned around and smiled, "Happy birthday, Emily!"

"Yes, happy birthday Emily," Mrs. Rodgers said.

"You guys didn't forget my birthday?" I asked.

Castle shrugged awkwardly and said, "Well, yes… We did, but we remembered this morning."

"Yeah, when we got home last night, I realized that I had forgotten your birthday," my aunt said.

"So, I decided to throw you a little family party since we all forgot your special day."

"This is awesome! Thank you all so much," I said.

"No problem mini Beckett. Hopefully all is forgiven?"

"Of course, it could happen to anyone."

"I'm glad you see it that way Em," Aunt Kate said.

"Come on, let's go celebrate," Castle said.

We all gathered around the kitchen, where they got food from one of my favorite places for breakfast, and had a fun time hanging out and chatting with one another. I was happy to be home, and that my family didn't forget about my birthday completely. They made it up to me, and I couldn't ask for a better birthday wish than this.


	70. Chapter 70

AN: Thank's to everyone for following, favouring, and reviewing this story. Here's the next chapter everybody, enjoy. Don't forget to Review. :)

Disclaimer: I do not own Castle or it's characters.

* * *

Arrested

My aunts been super busy with work, and she's been trying to figure out how to become a captain at her own precinct, on top of that, working long shifts at the precinct and barely being around the loft. Castle has also been extremely busy, from working at his PI firm, trying to remodel his PI office, and finishing his Nikki Heat novel, so he's not around much either, and if he is, he's usually in his own world.

Since everyone has been busy doing their own things, and living life to the fullest, I decided to do the same. I've been hanging out with Mike and his new friends, who moved in next door to him and his brother. They weren't the best of people to hang out with, and almost as bad as Leon's friends that we used to hang out with. The twin brothers, Henry and Remy, were both in and out of juvie for a couple of years. Their parents sent them to live with their grandparents, and it doesn't seem like it's helping any.

The only thing that I've gotten out of the twins from hanging out with them for about a month now, is how to create some sick graffiti. I was against it at first, but as they taught us how to tag different locations, and how to create some different works of art on old abandoned buildings, it became a pretty fun pastime. Mike was way better than I was though, but that didn't stop me from creating my own works of art.

That's what we were doing now, we were tagging a new building, and throwing up our own flair to the dingy red bricked building. As I held my shirt to cover my face from the paint, I moved my arm diligently up and down, as I put some final touches on it. Once I was finished, I took a step back, and admired my small, but decent piece of work. Mike came over to me, once he finished his intricate piece of graffiti, and said, "Not bad, Emmy. It seems like you're getting better."

"Yeah, right, my heart looks lopsided, and the word doesn't even look like the word I was going for. It just looks like gibberish," I said.

"No, I can tell what it says."

"Oh yeah, what is it?"

Mike squinted, then tilted his head, before he finally answered my question, "Love?"

I glared at him and asked, "Are you just guessing, or do you really know?"

"I can totally see it."

"Sure, you can."

"I can."

"Hmm, nice piece Emily," Remy said as he came over to us.

"I agree," Henry, the other twin, said.

"Thanks for trying to make me feel good about my crappy piece of art," I said with a huff.

"Seriously, it's not bad for a beginner. You should have seen us when we first started," Remy said.

"Yeah, we sucked, but then we got better after our two years of doing this," Henry said.

"Wow, you've been doing it that long?" Mike asked.

"Yep, we used to see our tags all over Boston when we rode around on our bikes."

"Cool."

"So, what did you two create?" I asked them.

"Just a small generic thing. Nothing to fancy," Remy said as he led us to their masterpiece.

My mouth dropped open as I stared at the graffiti they had created within an hour. I looked between the twins and asked, "You did this, in an hour?"

Henry shrugged and said, "Yeah, not our best piece, we're a little rusty, but it came out all right"

"You call that rusty? It's freaking amazing," Mike said as he looked on at their piece of art with amazement.

"I couldn't even draw Bumblebee within a year, especially with spray paint," I said.

"I guess we did pretty good. We're glad we did justice for our favorite Transformer," Remy said.

"You guys definitely nailed it."

"Thanks Emily," Henry said with a smile.

"What did you make Mike?" Remy asked.

Mike scratched the back of his neck and said, "Not even close to what you guys did."

"I'm sure it's great," Henry said.

"Yup, you seem to have a knack for this thing," Remy said.

"Uh-huh, a true prodigy."

"I don't know about that, but come on, I'll show you," Mike said as we walked over to his section of the brick wall.

"Is that… Is that our principal?" I asked.

"Yeah, she made me go to summer school after having a talk with my parents and a couple of our teachers. I needed to blow of some steam."

"Ha, that's awesome. She looks like a gremlin," Remy said.

"That was the point," Mike said with a chuckle.

"It's good, I'll give you that," I said.

"Yep," the twins agreed.

As we continued to admire each other's works of art, a man cleared his throat behind us, and we all turned around to see two uniformed police officers with their arms folded in front of them. The four of us looked around for an escape, but we were trapped, and the only way to get out of here was through the two officers.

"Don't even try it," the officer near Mike and I said.

"It's not what it looks like," Remy said.

"Really? So, what's that in your hand?"

Remy looked down at the can of spray paint in his hand and said, "A new drink that looks like a spray paint can."

"All right, enough. The four of you are coming down town with us," the other officer said.

Each cop grabbed a pair of us, and dragged us to the patrol car, where we were all shoved into the back. Once we were settled in and squished uncomfortably in the back, the two officers went to the front, and drove off to the local police station.

* * *

We've been at the police station for three hours now, and we each had to take a turn in the interrogation room. Mike was in the room now, and the twins already had their time in there, and were now slumped down in the two chairs to my right with glum faces. A couple of minutes later, Mike came walking out with the Lieutenant close behind him, and he plopped into the seat next to me with a heavy sigh.

"You're up, miss Beckett," the man said.

I walked with him into the interrogation room, and took a seat in the metal chair opposite his, facing the one-way mirror where someone might be watching our conversation.

"So, Emily, I'm Lieutenant Rosenbaum, and may I remind you that you are in some serious trouble. And remember lying will get you nowhere, so it'll be in your best bet, to be 100 percent honest with me," he said.

"It was just some graffiti… Art. It wasn't anything serious," I said.

"You do know it's illegal, and considered vandalism?"

"Well, yeah. We may have defaced a building, but it's an old abandoned building, not some high-class museum, or whatever."

"The government owns that building, and it's not even that, a minor isn't even supposed to have spray paint."

"I… I guess so."

"Where'd you get it?"

"From the twin boys, Remy and Henry."

"Do you know where they obtained the paint?"

"No, sir."

"Are you certain?"

"Yes, why would I lie?"

"Simple, you want to protect them."

"Well, I don't know. They just show up with the paint and we create stuff with it."

"So, you've done this before?"

I bit my lip and cursed myself for letting something like that slip up. He was a detective, just like my aunt, and of course he'd find something so simple to help further this case, and possibly create more against us.

"No," I huffed out.

"Like I said, lying will get you nowhere, Beckett. Now I will ask you again, have the four of you done this before?" he asked again

"Shouldn't I have a lawyer present?"

"Only if you want one, and if you're guilty."

"If I learned anything from the 12th precinct, I think it's my rights. So, yes, I'd like a lawyer before I answer any more questions."

The man leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms in front of him with a smug grin on his face, "You think you're smart, don't you?"

"No, I just know my aunt wouldn't approve of the four of us being interrogated without a lawyer present."

"Ah, I thought that name sounded familiar. Detective Katherine Beckett, is that correct?"

"Yes…"

"I don't think she'll be very happy to know that you are down here."

"No, and they already contacted our parents and guardians, so I'm sure she's not too pleased with me right now."

"Hmm… I'd say not," he stood up and motioned his arm to the door, "I guess we're done here."

"Until my lawyer gets here?" I asked.

"No, I think I have enough information from the four of you."

I glared at the man, before I made my way out of the room, Lieutenant Rosenbaum following closely behind me, as he led me to my seat next to Mike. I sat down with a sigh, much like Mike did when he got out, and the Lieutenant said, "Now, you kids have done an awful thing today, and I have a pretty strong case against you. Since you two, Remy and Henry, are the true delinquents, and have been arrested twice in Boston and once here prior to this incident today, you won't be getting off to easily. Now for you two, Mike and Emily, you haven't been arrested before, and have no records prior to this arrest. We might be able to get you two off with a simple punishment, such as a fine, or even community service, but who knows."

"We're going to Juvie again?" Remy asked with a groan.

"Possibly young man, and maybe you'll think about what you've been doing."

"This is bullshit," Henry said.

"Watch your mouth young man! I don't like seeing young kids like you, our future, in these kinds of situations, but if you do the crime…" he started to say, but Remy finished it for him, "You do the time, yeah we know."

"Exactly. Now I'm not the judge in this case, but it seems likely he or she will be harder on you two boys. And hopefully whatever happens to them, serves as a lesson for you two, and you won't find yourself in this kind of predicament again."

"Yes, sir," the four of us mumbled.

"Now sit tight, and wait for your parents or guardians to come and get you."

He walked away towards his desk, and we all sat quietly as we thought about our future court dates, and our impending lectures.

* * *

Not to long after we finished our interrogations, our parents and guardians started to show up one by one, and they all had different moods as they made their way towards us. Mike's mom and dad were the first parents to arrive, and they both yelled at their son as they approached him. Once they were briefed by the Lieutenant, and got some paperwork from the reception desk, they escorted Mike out to the parking lot to head home, and they continued to lecture him all the way out of the station.

The next guardians to arrive, were the twin's grandparents, and they had a look of worry and disappointment on their faces. They talked to the lieutenant, and got the paper work for the boys, before they calmly led the boys outside without saying one word to them. I figured it wasn't the first time they've had to do this, so it made it that much more saddening for that family.

Then it was my turn, and the look on my aunt's face seemed like one that could kill. Castle was with her as well, and he didn't look very happy either as they made their way over to me. Once she reached me, I was going to say something, but she stopped me with just a raise of her hand, "Don't Em… I don't want to hear it, not right now."

I looked over at Castle, and he shook his head at me with the same look of disappointment that I saw on the faces of the twin's grandparents not too long ago. Lieutenant Rosenbaum came over to the three of us and said, "Detective Beckett, nice seeing you again."

"Nice seeing you as well, Lieutenant Rosenbaum," my aunt said as she shook his hand.

"Sorry it had to be under these circumstances."

"Me too."

"So, I'm sure you know what your niece is here for."

"Actually no, we just got a call that told us that my niece was arrested and to come down here and pick her up."

"Well, Emily and three of her friends were down by the old abandon building on 5th, vandalizing the place with spray paint."

"Where'd you even get spray paint mini Beckett?" Castle asked.

"I already asked her that, and her little delinquent buddies, but they refuse to relay that information."

"I'm sorry about this, Lieutenant," my aunt said.

"Me too… Emily and her friends will have a court hearing in a few weeks, and hopefully the sentence isn't too bad."

"You're going to send four young kids to court for something like this?" Castle asked.

"Yes, I am. They committed a federal offence, and I will not tolerate it."

"I get that, but they're just kids, who are expressing themselves through art. No one was hurt."

"I understand that, but we will not have our city decimated by teenagers and adults who want to mark buildings up with their artistic talents. Plus, one small crime like this, can and will always lead to another crime in the future, and possibly more serious. It's better to stop them now, then later on when it gets out of hand, and they find themselves in much bigger trouble."

Castle was about to say something else, but aunt Kate beat him to the punch, "Yes, we understand. Emily will be at the court hearing and take whatever punishment that's given to her."

"Great, I'm glad to hear that. Maybe I'll put in a good word for her and her other pal, Mike, and they'll get off with a lesser sentence than the other two boys they were with."

"Thank you, Lieutenant Rosenbaum. We appreciate that, right Em?" my aunt asked me.

"Yes… That's great," I answered in monotone.

The lieutenant gave me a sharp glare, before he looked back at my aunt, reaching out for a hand shake. She shook his hand firmly and he said, "It was nice seeing you again Detective Beckett, hopefully next time it is under better circumstances."

"Yes, I agree. Thank you for your time," she said.

He nodded before walking away, leaving me alone with my aunt and uncle. I walked cautiously behind them as they made their way to the reception area, and grabbed the paper work for my court hearing and other information. It was quiet between the three of us as we made it to Aunt Kate's car, and that was never fun. I hated the silent treatment, but I knew it was going to be hell when we got back to Castle's loft. Aunt Kate is definitely not going to let me off easy.

* * *

We finally arrived home, and I was currently sitting on the couch as my aunt and uncle stood in front of me, starring me down as they thought of how to start this lecture. Aunt Kate placed her hands on her hips with an audible sigh, before she said, "Emily what were you thinking?"

I shrugged my shoulders and said, "I was just hanging out with my friends. I was having fun."

"Vandalism isn't fun Emily."

"Maybe she didn't know it was vandalism," Castle said.

"Did you know, Em?"

I bit my lip, and thought that maybe I could lie, but I figured my aunt would see right through me, so I decided to go with the truth, "Well, yes. I know the law that people under 21 can't buy or have spray paint in New York, but…"

"You didn't think you'd get caught."

"Pretty much."

"Why would you do this mini Beckett?" Castle asked.

"I don't know. The skate park hasn't been as much fun lately, and it was something new. I just felt cool, and didn't' think it'd be this big of a deal. We were just drawing. It wasn't like we were throwing up gang related stuff, or anything hateful. It was just good, peaceful artwork."

"I do think this was a little out of hand. They didn't have to arrest them and make them go to court, putting this on their record. It was their first time, they should get a slap on the wrist or something."

"Actually, it was Remy and Henry's fourth time…"

"Well… Okay… But still, you and Mike both have clean records. You two shouldn't have to be a part of something the twins did."

Aunt Kate sighed once again and said, "It doesn't matter. What matters is that Emily took part in an illegal activity and now she's facing the consequences."

"I guess so…"

"Emily, you've learned your lesson, right?"

"Yes."

"I'm just curious, why did you do it?" Castle asked.

"Like I said, I was just having fun with a few friends."

"When did you even start hanging out with them?" my aunt asked.

"Maybe if you were around, you'd know."

Both of my family members looked taken aback from what I just said, and aunt Kate asked, "What did you just say?"

"If you weren't so busy with work, and trying to become a captain, you'd know what was happening."

"I thought you were happy for me. I thought you didn't mind me taking this next step."

"I don't, but no one's around anymore. What's going to happen when you do get a captain position. You're not going to be around when I need you, and Castle's putting more time into his PI business. Alexis is trying to finish school, and helping her dad. Mrs. Rodgers is doing a play, and working on other stuff. I just feel like I'm stuck here, and I'm in my teenage years, which is going to be hell, especially when I reach high school next year."

Aunt Kate sat next to me on the couch, taking one of my hand in hers, and said, "Em, whatever you are going through, or are going to go through, I'll be there for you. No matter how busy I am, you can come to me, or call me, and I'll drop everything to help you out."

"Me too Em. No matter what I'm doing, you can come to me," Castle said as he sat down on the other side of me.

I nodded and said, "I know…"

"Please, don't get yourself into any more trouble Em. You're a good kid, I don't want to see you going down the wrong path," my aunt said sadly.

"I won't aunt Kate. I promise."

She gave me a peck on my forehead, and said, "I'm glad to hear that."

"I am too, mini Beckett," Castle said with a matching peck to the forehead.

"Thanks guys… So, I'm grounded, right?" I asked my aunt.

"Oh yeah, three weeks. You're going to be staying here, coming with me to the precinct, or going with Castle to his PI office," my aunt said.

"Sounds fair."

"Good, I figured you'll get more punishment when you go to your court hearing."

"Yeah… I just hope the judge goes easy on us."

"I'm sure they will, but we'll have to wait and see."

"I guess we do."

"Now, head upstairs and we'll call you for dinner."

"Okay," I went to head upstairs, but my aunt stopped me, "Em."

I turned around and she put her hand out for what I figured was my cell phone. I let out a short sigh and took my phone from my pocket, and handed it over to her. She smiled and said, "Thanks Emily."

"You're welcome…" I grumbled before I headed upstairs and to my room.

* * *

The weeks went by fast, and we already had our court hearing with the judge. Thankfully, the judge went easy on us, well Mike and I. The twins got sent to juvie until the week before school started, so the rest of their summer was going to be spent in a detention center. I felt bad for them, but at least it wasn't me going to juvie. Mike and I did however get stuck with two Saturdays of community service. We had to pick up trash at the local part for eight hours, for both of the Saturdays they stuck us with.

That's what I was doing now, I was currently shoving my poker into candy wrappers and other items, as we picked up the trash at the park. Mike came over to me, wiping his brow with the back of his hand, and said, "Man, this sucks…"

"Yeah, but I much rather be here then where the twins are," I said.

"Yeah… I guess you're right. At least we're here with each other."

"True, it could have been worse if we weren't together."

"Hey, twerp! Come pick up this mess," some older teenager, who was serving his time with us, said to Mike.

"Duty calls," Mike said with nervousness.

"Don't let him pick on you. Just know you're going further than he is," I whispered.

"Yep, I just don't want to be the reason he ends up behind bars."

"He's not going to risk kicking the mess out of you when there are security guards all around us."

"I wouldn't put it past him. He has some pretty crazy tats and piercings, that makes me think he wouldn't even think twice about pounding me into the ground while the guards watch."

"Fine, then go pick the trash up before he does pound you."

"I will," he said before he went over to the pile that the teenager was telling him to pick up.

"Eww…" I heard Mike groan.

"What?"

"Is that a…?"

"Eww…Just get rid of it."

"I'm not picking that up."

"Just do it. It's gross."

Mike stabbed at the item that was on the ground and quickly threw it into his trash bag.

"I cannot believe people would do that in the park," Mike said.

"I do. People are nasty," I said while shaking my head in disgust.

"I don't doubt that, not at all."

"Well, you have fun digging through your gross pile. I'm going to go finish mine."

"Thanks… You could help me, you know."

"Sorry, Mike. You're on your own."

"Thanks…"

Eventually our Saturdays were over, and I was free for the rest of the summer to do whatever I wanted. Well, not whatever I wanted because I do not want to be arrested again. It was not a fun experience, and if I can keep myself out of trouble and away from juvie, or prison, then by all means, I will.


	71. Chapter 71

AN: We're heading into Season 8, so the journey's almost over... I won't focus on Loksat much, but it might be mentioned here and there. I'm not sure how many chapters are left, but we're getting to the end, so let's see where this last season take Em and the gang.

This chapter is based on Season 8 Episodes 1 and 2 "XY" and "XX". Thank's to everyone for following, favouring, and reviewing this story. Here's the next chapter everybody, enjoy. Don't forget to Review. :)

Disclaimer: I do not own Castle or it's characters.

* * *

Is This The Beginning Of The End?

It was a week before school started, and lately I've been cooped up in the loft, not doing much except browsing the internet, and watching TV. I haven't seen Mike since we finished our community service. Once summer school was over, his parents sent him to some local summer camp, so he would stay out of trouble. And the summer camp has a zero internet and cellphone policy, so I haven't even been able to keep in touch with him, which sucked.

Besides not being able to see or talk to my best friend/boyfriend, nothing interesting has been happening around here either. The only main thing that has happened recently is that my aunt actually got a job as a captain. Today is actually her first day on the job, and it's not just any precinct she's working at, it's the 12th precinct. Since Captain Gates got the job as the new deputy chief, my aunt decided to take the position as the Captain at the 12th, which is pretty awesome. I'm glad she decided not to run for the State Senate because that would've been hectic, so I'm happy with the choice that she made.

Castle was happy for her too, and he was about to surprise her with a special present he had gotten her, which happened to be a beautiful silver bracelet with some little diamonds on it and the word 'Always' engraved inside. He was currently getting the surprise ready as my aunt got ready for her first day. The bracelet was hidden inside a large cupcake, with icing and round sprinkles on top. He also put on a decoration that looked like a banner with some blue writing on it, which read, " _Congratulations Captain Beckett_."

He was putting the finishing touch on it, which happened to be a sparkler that he was about to light up. As he got a lighter out, and started to ignite the sparkler, I said, "You're not going to set your hair on fire again, are you?"

Castle scoffed and said, "That was one time."

"Doesn't mean it won't happen again."

"I'm not going to set my hair on fire again."

"Okay…"

He lit the sparkler and smiled brightly before he picked up the plate that held it, putting it behind his back, so he could go surprise aunt Kate. He started to make his way to their bedroom, but stopped and asked me, "Aren't you going to come with?"

"No, it's your moment together," I said as I waved him off.

He smiled and continued on his way to give my aunt the lovely present he got her. As he went to do that, I continued to sit at the kitchen isle, and scoured the internet for anything interesting. A little while later I heard my aunt walk out and I turned to ask her if she liked the present, but she looked worried.

"Are you okay?" I asked.

"Oh, Em. Yeah, I'm fine, just a little nervous, that's all," she said with a small smile.

"Okay… Well, I'm sure you'll do fine. Did you like the present?"

She nodded and lifted her wrist, "Yep, it's beautiful. I have to go… See you later."

"See you later aunt Kate."

She nodded with a small smile before she headed out the door. I wondered why my aunt was nervous, we all know she'll do a superb job as captain, but I wonder if there is something else bothering her. I shrugged my shoulders, and went back to looking at an article on the internet. As I continued to read through the article, my heart began to break into several pieces.

"Noooo... Why..." I cried out way over dramatically.

"Mini Beckett, are you okay?" Castle asked as he came out of his room.

"No, I am not okay. This is the worst news I have ever received."

"What is it? Did someone get hurt?"

"I'm hurt, they can't do this to me."

"Em, just tell me what it is."

"My favorite show just got canceled. This season is going to be its last."

"Really?" Castle asked with a sigh and raised brow.

"It was my favorite show… It was about this TV actor who helped solve cases with an LA detective. They were finally hitting it off, but now that they are finally together, they go and cancel the show."

"I'm sorry to hear that mini Beckett."

"Yeah… Me too. Eight seasons and it's ending. I just hope they don't make the finale stupid."

"How could they do that?"

"I don't know, wind up having a weird cliffhanger moment, thinking they're going to die, but then skip ahead several years, and they have children and everything's all peachy."

Castle nodded slowly and said, "Yeah, that would be a terrible ending."

"Yep, they better not jip us on this last season either. They better make it epic, and not some weird plot that takes up the whole season and then during the series finale we get real answers."

"Hmm… Sounds like you should be writing it," Castle said with a chuckle.

I laughed too and said, "If they'd let me write it, I'm sure I'd make it impressive and memorable."

"I bet you would. So, how would you like to check out my remodeled PI office to get your mind off this awful news?"

"That'd be great."

"All right, let's get going mini Beckett."

* * *

We got to Castle's PI office and he was about to unlock the door, but the door was already unlocked. He pushed it open, and when we entered, some burley looking man came out of his office, and Castle asked, "Can I help you?"

"You sure as hell can, buddy. I'm Franco Mancini! Nice to finally meet you. Bring it on in. Come here," the man said as he gave him a tight hug, "Great news, huh, Ricky? My wife's sleeping with my brother, not my personal chef what a relief."

"Uh, I'm sorry. Y-y-your wife is having an affair with your brother and you're happy about it?"

"Hell, I got four other brothers, but my chef is one in a million. His spicy clams are to die for. Thanks again for solving my case, Ricky. You and your associate."

"Associate?" we asked together.

I followed Castle into his office, and Alexis was sitting at his desk looking at some papers. As she flipped through the papers, she said, "Could you wait out in reception? I'll be with you in a sec."

As Castle looked around his newly renovated office, he said to his daughter, "Uh, Alexis, I don't want to say you have some explaining to do, but I think you have some explaining to do."

Alexis stood from the desk and said, "Wait, did I forget to tell you I've been working PI cases for you?"

"Must have slipped your mind."

"Hey, didn't the guys do a fantastic job remodeling the place?"

"I know, right?! But you're changing the subject."

"I know. But check it out. Pull on " _The Complete Works of Edgar Allan Poe_ ," and…" Alexis pulled down on the book, and the bookcase opened up, revealing a secret area Castle had made.

He walked into the secret room, and said, "Oh, my God! This turned out so much cooler than I thought it would! Wait, did they do the thing on the desk with the…?"

"Mm-hmm."

Castle sat down at his desk, and tapped on the spot he asked to have a secret compartment put in. The secret compartment opened, and a gun flew out, but missed his hand by a couple of inches. Alexis and I let out a chuckle, and he said, "Obviously the spring has a trajectory… I'll make the… okay, back to you. Why… why are you working my cases?"

"Truth is, it's all your fault," Alexis said from beside me.

"You set up shop in my office behind my back, and it's my fault?"

"Exactly. A month ago, when you sent me here to open the place for your foreman, a potential client came by. I was intrigued, so I sort of said I was your associate, and then I kind of solved the case. Since then, I've closed three others."

"Alexis, you can't just… You closed four cases? That's more than I have."

"Wow, she did better in a month than you did in nine months as a PI," I said.

"Ugh …" Castle said with slight aggravation.

Alexis chuckled, and I gave her slight low-five to commemorate her awesomeness at solving four cases.

"I know. Step your game up," she said to him before she started to leave.

"W-what about your college courses?" Castle asked as he got up and stood next to his desk.

"Oh, please. I've got that handled. Plus, I forged your signature to make sure I got school credit for being an intern."

Castle's phone started to beep, and he said, "Okay, that's Esposito. I have to take this. But we are not done talking."

"Good, we need to discuss my profit participation in the company."

Castle turned the phone on speaker and Esposito said, " _Castle?_ "

"Uh, e-Esposito. How you doing, buddy? How's the new boss lady treating you?"

" _She's ignoring me._ "

" _Just like every other woman in his life,_ " Ryan interjected.

" _Shut up_. _So, your wife is not answering her cell, and we need her authorization for more officers down here. Is she with you?_ "

"Oh, I'm 's at a meeting at 1PP. What's going on?" Castle asked.

" _We're working on a case. You interested?_ " Ryan asked.

"I'd love to, but I'm a little busy with my thriving PIbusiness."

"Not really, I closed all the cases," Alexis exclaimed.

Castle raised a hand towards his daughter, stopping her from saying anything else, and continued to answer Ryan's question, "But since you're desperate, I'll rearrange my hectic schedule and, uh, lend you my expertise."

He hung up the phone and whispered to Alexis, "Come on."

She raised her hands defensively, and smirked at her father before leaving his office. Castle sighed, and I said, "Looks like we have a crime scene to attend."

"Who said you were invited?" Castle asked.

"Don't get mad at me since your daughter is a better PI than you."

"That's not what I… Hey…"

I laughed at him and said, "Vámonos Castle, let's go…"

"Okay… Okay…"

* * *

We got to the location of the crime scene, which happened to be a theater, which was currently under construction. When we walked into the place, there were three dead bodies littering the floor, and Castle said, "Whoa! Looks like a Tarantino film came to life in here."

Ryan came over to us and said, "Yeah. Now meet our stars. This is Greg Minoso. Over here, we got Jake Fitz. And finally, we come to Dustin Chambers."

We went over to Esposito and he held up one of the guns that was bagged as evidence, "And check this out. They were each packing identical .40 cals."

"I take it they weren't part of the construction crew," Castle said, pointing out the obvious.

"No. Renovation's not scheduled to begin till next week," Ryan said.

"Okay. So, what happened?"

"Truth is, we're not sure yet," Esposito answered.

"What we do know is that gunfire was heard around 9:07 A.M. and continued for a minute or two," Ryan explained.

"So, they shot each other?" Castle questioned.

"Nope, their wounds are from a downward angle, maybe 45 degrees, which means they probably all were shot from up there," Lanie said as she pointed to the balcony.

We made our way up to the balcony of the theater, where we found several rounds littering the ground.

"Yep. The shooter was definitely up here," Lanie said.

Ryan picked up one of the casings, and said, "9mm."

"All right, he must've capped them from up here, boom, boom, boom, and then boogied out that exit," Esposito explained.

Castle continued to look around, and stepped on something under the cloth that was around for the renovations. He lifted his foot as he mumbled out, "Ew. Guys."

Lanie pulled back the sheet, and revealed a puddle of blood seeping into the cloth.

"Oh," Esposito mumbled.

As Castle continued to examine the blood puddle, Ryan started to make deductions of what might have happened, "Looks like our shooter took a bullet from one of the dead guys down there, falls back up against the wall, grabbing the drop cloth, pulling it down with him."

"All right, let's contact hospitals…" as Esposito talked, Castle reached into the pool of blood with a pen and pulled out the bracelet that he gave to my aunt Kate not too long ago.

"This is Beckett's," Castle said as he held up the bracelet that was dangling on his pen.

"Wait, what did you just say?" Lanie asked as they made their way back over to us.

"I gave it to her this morning. She was here."

* * *

We were back at the precinct, awaiting the results of the blood pool we found at the crime scene. I was pacing back and forth in my aunt's office, as I wondered if she was okay. She was acting a little strange this morning before she left, and I didn't think anything like this was bothering her. What could she possibly be involved in? I continued to pace the room, while thinking about my aunt Kate, hoping she was all right, wherever she might be.

"She'll be okay, mini Beckett," Castle said as he continued waiting for an answer as well.

I stopped to look at him, and all I could do was nod. Castle let out a small sigh, and we both went back to waiting in silence. A few minutes later, Esposito came in and Castle said, "Tell us."

"Lanie said that blood was a match to Beckett's," Esposito said as he gave us the terrible news.

"But there was so much blood," Castle said as he looked at the bracelet which was now in an evidence bag, "Okay. Okay, but this is… This is Beckett we're talking about."

"Yeah, yeah, she's as tough as they come."

"Exactly. So, she must have shot those three guys. And since she hasn't contacted us, we can assume that their partners abducted her. But why? We need to dig into the backgrounds of those dead shooters. We need to find out who they're working with."

"That's the thing. We can't. Their IDs are all fake and their prints aren't in the system. Castle, do you have any idea what Beckett was doing at that theater?"

"She was supposed to be at 1PP."

"I talked to Gates. Beckett didn't have anything on the books."

"So she lied to me?"

Ryan came rushing over to us and said, "Guys, I got a hit on one of the dead shooter's credit cards. He rented a short-term apartment through an online site."

We went to leave, but Castle turned to me, and put both of his hands on each of my shoulders, stopping me in my tracks.

"Stay here, Em," Castle said.

"But I…" I stuttered out.

"I know, stay here. Your aunt wouldn't want you involved."

"Fine."

Castle nodded, and I watched as the three of them got on the elevator before they were gone. I sighed sadly before I made my way back to my aunts office, and waited for their return.

* * *

Eventually they came back, and not empty handed. They found some woman in the apartment they were checking out, and they were getting ready to interrogate her, to see what she might know. I followed Castle into the observation room, and as we looked at the woman in interrogation, she looked at the one-way mirror and winked with a smirk. Castle got closer, and I chuckled at the situation.

"She's cool," I said.

Castle scoffed and continued to stare at her, before Esposito and Ryan walked into the interrogation room.

"Have a seat, Miss Shipton," Esposito said.

"Oh, no, please, call my Hayley. I insist that anyone who's frisked me use my given name," she said with a British accent as she took a seat.

"Okay, Hayley, my partner and I really enjoyed reading your file."

"Oh, sweetie, I'm so much more than words on paper."

"Born and raised in East London, over in the borough of Hackney," Ryan said.

"Rough area. Don't they have a street nicknamed "the murder mile"?" Esposito questioned.

"Well, yes. But it's not without its charms," Hayley said.

"Just like you. Love your accent, by the way. Very posh. Where did you learn to speak like that?" Ryan asked.

"Not from the slums she grew up in. And definitely not from your mom, who's at the tail end of a 20-year prison bid," Esposito explained.

"Oh, then not wanting to follow in mum's footsteps, you joined the metropolitan police service."

"And that was an epic fail."

"Yeah, they booted you out because of your tendency to cut legal corners."

"Allegedly," she said.

"You hung a dealer out of a window in order to get a confession?"

"Did I hang him out the window? Or did I save him from falling out said window? It's hard to tell. It's even harder to prove."

"Well, lucky for us, we don't have to prove that you were hiding in that apartment."

"Hiding? No, lost. I was looking for a Starbucks, actually. Usually they're so easy to find."

"How do you know the guy who rented that apartment?" Esposito inquired.

"Unlike the imbeciles who usually sit in this chair, I know my rights, so I would like to leave now," she said as she started to stand up.

Esposito pushed her back down into the seat, and said, "No, I don't think so."

Ryan got up from his chair that was on the other side of the room, and walked over to Esposito, saying to Hayley, "We got a missing NYPD captain, as well as three dead bodies, so you should start talking right now."

Hayley stood and said, "Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. I don't know anything…"

"Come on, Hayley. You can do better than that," Esposito said.

"Look, I am just a freelance security specialist. I was hired by an insurance company to catch a hacker who's been stealing social-security numbers from their system…"

"Why were you in that apartment?" Ryan questioned her.

"I have been following fake IDs made from the stolen social-security numbers. And last night, I got an alert that five of them had been used together in New York City. Caught my attention, so I flew in to investigate."

"Five IDs. You sure it was five?" Esposito asked.

"Four men and a woman. Greg Minoso, Jake Fitz, Ty Dade, Dustin Chambers, and Susan Emory."

"Where were you at 9:00 A.M. this morning?"

"On final approach to JFK, and my flight didn't land until 9:30. And that is all I know. Now go and check my alibi so that I can get the hell out of here."

We walked out of the observation room, and Castle let out a frustrated sigh.

"She seems pretty cool," I said with a small smile.

Castle gave me an unamused look, and said, "She's not cool. She's hiding something, and your aunt is still in danger."

"You might be right, she may be hiding something. But I don't think she has anything to do with what my aunts involved in. I think she just got roped into this somehow."

"Hmm… I still don't trust her."

I nodded, and we watched as a uniformed officer escorted Hayley towards the elevator. Ryan came over to Castle and me, and Castle said, "She's hiding something."

"I know," Ryan said.

"We can't just let her leave."

"Her alibi is solid. We have to."

"Ryan," Esposito called for him over at his desk.

"Yeah," Ryan said as went over to talk with Espo.

Castle went to talk to Hayley, so I followed behind him, and Hayley said to him, "Ugh. I put you down once. I won't hesitate to do it again"

"My name is Richard Castle. That missing captain is my wife and her aunt," he said.

"I didn't know. I'm sorry."

"Keep your sorry. Just give me your help. There's more to this story than you're telling us. Now she's been injured and abducted."

"I don't know anything about that."

"Name your price. Anything you say, I'll pay it. I just want my wife back."

"I hope you find her," Hayley said before she entered the elevator.

Esposito and Ryan made their way over, and Esposito said, "Yo, unis found a stolen van with blood in it by a dry-cleaner's on 23rd street."

"Any sign of Beckett?" Castle asked.

"Yeah, officers found the owner locked in the back. They said a woman matching Beckett's description was there," Ryan answered.

They were heading out, but Castle stopped me once again, and said, "No Em."

"Why?" I sighed.

"Because."

"I want to go… This is my aunt, I hate waiting here and not knowing what's going on."

Castle let out a huff, and said, "Okay… You can come. But stay alert."

"Thanks, Uncle Rick."

He nodded, before we all headed out of the precinct, and towards the dry-cleaners that my aunt was spotted at.

* * *

We arrived at the dry-cleaners a little while later, and we went up to the woman who owned it.

"Hi, I'm Detective Ryan. This is Detective Esposito. This is Mr. Castle," Ryan said to the woman.

"Can you tell us what happened here?" Esposito asked.

"A lady and man burst in. She said she was cop. Bleeding everywhere. Big mess. Those are her clothes. She told man to lock me in bathroom, he did, and that was it," She explained to us.

"Wait, she told him? You're saying that she was here of her own volition? Not as a hostage?" Castle questioned her.

"I was hostage, she was in charge," Castle showed the woman a picture of aunt Kate on his phone, and she said, "Yeah, it's her."

"Okay, this man that she was with, can you describe him?" Esposito asked.

"Uh Late 20s, east Indian, had beard."

"Did you catch his name?"

"No. But he was in kind of bad shape, too. Headaches, dizzy, said he needed to eat. She told him he probably should have gotten breakfast instead of calling her."

"Beckett got a call from some guy this morning," Castle mentioned to us.

"Do you know who she was talking to?" Ryan asked.

"She said it was a telemarketer," Castle walked over to the bloody clothes aunt Kate left behind and said, "What is she doing? What the hell is going on?"

As we hung around the dry-cleaner, Castle tried to come up with some theories to figure out what was going on.

"All right, let's think. Beckett gets a call from a mystery man. Can we trace the phone?" Castle asked.

"Already checked. Call came from a burner phone," Esposito replied.

"Damn it. All right. She must have met this guy at the theater. Clearly, they were ambushed. Beckett gets shot. But she manages to take three of them out, and then she and the man escape."

"But she didn't call for backup."

"Yeah. Why wouldn't she reach out to us?" Ryan asked.

"Guys, the woman just sewed herself up with a needle and thread. Clearly something's going on, and she's afraid to contact anyone," Castle said.

"But what? I mean, what could it be that would cause her to react like this?"

"Whatever it is, it has to do with this man. We find the man, we find Beckett."

"All right, I'll have CSU dust this place for prints. Maybe we get an I.D. on this guy."

"All right," Castle said with a nod.

Castle's phone started to ring, so as Esposito and Ryan worked to get answers, he Picked up his phone.

"Hey, Alexis, listen, someth… What's going on? All right," he hung up the phone and said to the guys, "Uh, I'll meet you back at the station."

"All right," Esposito said.

* * *

We made our way to Castle's PI office, and he called out to his daughter once we got inside, "Alexis?"

"Dad, we're in here," Alexis called out from his office.

"We? Beckett."

We went into his office, and found none other than Hayley, talking to Alexis.

"That's it. That is it," Hayley said.

"Yeah?" Alexis asked.

"Yes."

"Okay."

"Hey, it's Hayley," I whispered to Castle.

"I... I can see that," he said to me before he asked them a question, "What the hell's going on here?"

"Oh, I hope you don't mind. I'm just giving her some PI lessons."

"Hayley was teaching me the art of manipulating men. It's all about confidence and eye contact."

"Yeah, if you can entice a man with your gaze, you can lie, steal, cheat, what have you."

"Ooh, I want in on that lesson," I said.

Castle gave me a look before addressing Hayley once again, "My wife is out there fighting for her life. Why are you wasting my time?"

"Wait, what? Why didn't you tell me?" Alexis asked Hayley.

"Sorry. I figured it wasn't my place," she said to Alexis before she answered Castle, "Now, look, Rick, you asked for my help. You want it or not?"

"What's the catch? 'Cause I'm thinking, with you, there's always a catch," Castle said.

"There's only one. No cops."

"Why not?"

"Differing agendas. The cops serve and protect the city. I serve and protect me."

"Fine. No cops," Castle agreed as they shook on it.

"Dad, what happened to Beckett?" Alexis asked.

"She's hurt, and she's on the run."

"From whom?"

"I don't know. It has something to do with a man she's with."

"What man?" Hayley asked, but Castle gave her a glare, "Look, I'm here, aren't I? You've got to give to get. Who's this mystery man?"

"He's east Indian, in his late 20s. He might be sick. He was dizzy, had a headache, said he needed something to eat. I don't know. What about you, Hayley? I know you're holding back on something."

"I have a lead on the last two shooters."

"How?"

"Well, I haven't just been chasing random identities. A hacker stole 100,000 social-security numbers, then bundled them into smaller groupings."

"And who's he selling the bundles to?"

"Mafia, drug cartels, terrorists. Take your pick. However, from the bundle of those five shooters, I've just uncovered that a new identity's been used."

"Can you track it?"

"I already have. It was used to lease a storage locker a few days ago."

"And how does this help me find Beckett?"

"It doesn't, but there are still two killers hunting her. If we can track them down, I get one step closer to my hacker, and you get your wife out of harm's way. This way, we both get what we want."

"All right. Let's go," Castle said as they got ready to leave the office.

"Dad, did you notice any candy wrappers or fruit juice, anything with sugar, at the dry-cleaner's?" Alexis questioned her father before he left with Hayley.

"Uh, an empty soda can. Why?"

"I think Beckett's mystery man might have been having a diabetic incident. But based on his symptoms, sugar is not enough. You need Insulin to regulate…"

"Honey, I need to go. Let's talk about this later, though, okay?"

They were heading out, but Hayley stopped and said to Alexis, "Red, don't wait for the old man. If you've got something, follow up on it. Look, Beckett's on the run. She can't go to a doctor, can't go to a hospital, so how does she get her hands on Insulin?"

"She would have to get creative," Alexis said.

"There you go," Hayley said before she left with Castle.

I watched Alexis type away on the computer, trying to find out how my aunt would have gotten some insulin.

"Think we'll find anything," I asked.

"Yeah, I have an idea," Alexis said.

"What is it?"

"Here," she said as she pointed at the screen, "There was a prank 911 call 2 hours ago at 2nd and 23rd. An ambulance responded to it."

"So, as they went to investigate the call, my aunt snagged some insulin from the back."

"More than likely. I'm going to send this to my phone, and see if I can get some information."

"Can I..."

"No, what I'm going to do, I can't have you around."

"Manipulation and deception."

"Exactly, so stay here. I'll be back soon," she said before heading out of the office.

"I guess I'll stay here then, and… and keep myself company. Keeping this place safe and all…" I mumbled to myself as I plopped down on the leather couch that Castle had in his office.

* * *

Alexis came back a little while later, and it turned out that her hunch was right. She viewed security footage from the ambulance, and saw my aunt take some insulin from the truck. Right now, she was searching for the Taxi that they jumped into after they robbed the ambulance. She finally found some promising information and called her dad to tell him about what she had found.

" _Hey, what's up?_ " Castle asked.

"Dad, I was able to track Beckett and that mystery man to a taxi," Alexis said.

" _You are the best! Okay, uh, now all we have to do is call the cab company, figure out where they went_."

"Already did. They went to a prison upstate."

" _Really? Is she still there?_ "

"No, but she visited an inmate, William Bracken."

" _Bracken? Okay, why is your wife visiting a disgraced former senator?_ " Hayley asked.

" _They have history,_ " Castle answered her.

" _What kind of history?_ "

" _He had Beckett's mother killed_."

"It's why she became a cop. She dedicated her life to hunting him," Alexis chimed in.

" _Okay, so, what's with the reunion? And why today of all days?_ " Hayley enquired.

" _Because Bracken's behind this,_ " Castle said.

" _I know he was a powerful man, but that sort of influence dries up when you're serving life in prison._ "

" _You don't know the kind of people Bracken was aligned with mercenaries, dealers, the worst of the worst. He made a lot of people rich. A lot of whom may still owe him favors._ "

" _You're saying that William Bracken ordered a hit on your wife?_ "

" _Beckett ruined his so-called legacy, his life. He's out for payback_."

Hayley and Castle went to visit Bracken at the prison, to see if they could get some more information on where my aunt might be, and what she's involved in. Alexis and I were still hanging out at the PI office, and she was still searching for some clues that may lead us to my aunt's whereabouts. As we waited around, Alexis got a ping on her cellphone. She checked it out and said, "Oh, no."

"What?" I asked from my seat.

"Dad's phone went dead."

"How do you know?"

"I've been tracking him, just in case he ever goes missing again."

"We have to get to the precinct, and tell Espo and Ryan."

"Yeah, come on Emily."

* * *

We got to the precinct, and Alexis ran towards Esposito and Ryan as soon as the elevator doors opened, "Dad's missing! We have to find him!"

"Whoa, whoa. Whoa. Slow down. What are you what are you talking about?" Esposito asked.

"I've been tracking his cellphone on the sly. That way, if he ever disappeared again, I'd know. And an hour ago, his phone suddenly went dead."

"Okay, maybe the battery just died," Ryan reasoned with her.

"No. Not with where he went."

"And where's that?"

"Winterkill correctional. I tracked Beckett there earlier."

"Winterkill! That's where Bracken is," Esposito said as we made our way to his desk.

"He's connected to this somehow. That's why dad went to see him."

"Without telling us. But I bet Hayley went along, huh?"

"Yeah, but when I called her, she said she left him at the prison. Hasn't heard from him since."

"All right, I'll reach out to the prison, get their external surveillance feed," Ryan said.

"All right," Esposito said as he grabbed his keys.

"Where are you going?" Alexis asked.

"To get Hayley."

Alexis and I hung around the precinct as we waited for any word on our new missing persons case. Alexis looked a little frazzled and I said, "I'm sure we'll find your dad."

"I know, I'm sure we'll find Kate too. I'm just worried… Who knows what they might be involved in."

"Whatever it is, I think it's something big. There's definitely more to this story."

"I think so too, but what?"

"I don't know, but it's not good. We could all potentially be in danger."

"That's what I'm afraid of. Hopefully we'll get some answers soon."

"Yeah, I hope so too."

* * *

Esposito brought in Hayley, and right now, they were interrogating her to see if she knew anything that she wasn't telling us. Alexis and I watched from the observation room, and Hayley said, "I don't know anything. The last time I saw Castle was outside the prison."

"You'd think an ex-cop would understand obstruction of justice," Esposito said.

"Yeah, especially since arresting her for it will torpedo her investigator's license," Ryan mentioned.

"You're not scaring me, guys," Hayley said.

"You think we're playing? Castle's one of us, which means you better come clean right now, or every cop in this city is gonna make it their mission to jam you up," Esposito said.

"I understand the passion. But I have a reputation to uphold. My clients think that I roll over every time a cop says, "Boo," I'm looking for a new line of work."

Alexis was getting frustrated, so she busted into the interrogation room, and said, "Damn it, my dad's in trouble! If you know anything about where he is, you have to tell us."

"Alexis, it's not that simple."

"Yes, it is. Please."

"Okay, there is something I kept to myself, but it's not gonna help you. It's a dead end."

"Spill," Ryan said.

"There was a woman at the storage locker. We mixed it up a little. When she kicked me, something transferred from her boot. I had a lab test it. It's creosote. It's a form of coal tar primarily used to treat railway ties. There are tens of thousands of those ties used in the subway."

"You get a copy of the lab report?" Esposito asked.

"Yeah," Hayley said as she handed over her phone.

"Tie's not from the subway," Ryan said.

"What?"

"How do you know?" Alexis asked.

"No traces of any steel dust or any other pollutants. My guess is that the rail road tie's new," Ryan answered.

"I'll call MTA. See where they store those things," Esposito said.

"Thank you," Alexis said to Hayley.

* * *

Eventually they got a hit on where Castle might be, and we got there as soon as we could. When we got inside, Castle was okay, and there was a lady down on the floor that some of the officers were attending to.

"Dad!" Alexis yelled as she ran to her dad, giving him a tight hug.

"Hey! Hey, hey, hey! I'm okay. I'm okay. It's okay," he said as he continued hugging her.

Ryan came over and said, "E.S.U. says the building is secure. There's no sign of Beckett."

We were back at the precinct, and Ryan and Esposito were getting ready to interrogate the woman who kidnapped Castle. Castle, Alexis, and I were in the observation room and Castle asked aloud, "Why doesn't Beckett trust me?"

"She does," Alexis and I said.

"Then why is she keeping me in the dark? I don't need protecting."

"Yes, you do. You're a writer, dad. And you and Beckett are magic together, but you don't have her training or her skill set. When you disappeared last year, I thought you were dead. For two months. And then you went missing today, and I was so scared."

"Honey…"

"Beckett has a reason for keeping quiet. If you love her, you have to trust her."

Ryan and Esposito walked into the room, and Castle said, "Finally. What are we waiting for? Let's go give her hell."

"Castle, wait," Ryan said.

"We got a positive ID on the guy running with Beckett," Esposito mentioned.

"Great. Who is he?" Castle asked.

"His name is Vikram Singh. He's a low-level analyst for the Attorney General's investigative office."

"In D.C.? That's where Beckett worked," Alexis said.

"Yeah, but that was two years ago, and she never mentioned anyone named Vikram," Castle said.

"Yeah, as far as we can tell, their paths never crossed. He's only been on the job a few months," Esposito said.

"Then how would Beckett know him? We need to call Rachel McCord. She was Beckett's partner."

"McCord's dead, Castle. Killed yesterday in an automobile accident, along with three other members of her team," Ryan revealed to us.

"That can't be a coincidence."

"It's not. The last member of her team was stabbed to death at a club that same night. Witnesses saw him flirting with a hot brunette," Esposito said.

"This doesn't make any sense. What does any of this have to do with Bracken?"

"Well, let's go ask her," Ryan said.

Ryan and Castle went into the interrogation room, while Esposito, Alexis, and I watched from observation.

"For someone who says they've got a lot of downtime, you sure have been a busy girl. Staging car accidents, stabbings in D.C., kidnapping me at gunpoint in New York. Tell me, do assassins get frequent-flier miles?" Castle asked as he sat in front of the woman.

"Ah, but you didn't fly commercial, did you? We ran your photo against every flight from D.C. So, you either road-tripped it or you took a private jet. And given your arsenal, you people clearly have the resources," Ryan said.

"Not really sure what you're expecting here. A tearful confession? Not gonna happen," the woman said.

"Well, we are expecting that you're smart enough to know that it's CYA time."

"Look, unless you've got a bag of spiders, we're done here."

"You know, you told me I had no idea what was going on, and you were right. But now I've got the edge of it, and I'm gonna keep on peeling it back until I know everything, with or without your help," Castle said.

"I'll recommend the "with." It comes with less prison time," Ryan said.

"Prison's a Picnic compared to what happens to me if I talk. You need to make your peace with the fact that your wife isn't long for this world," she said.

"Don't be so sure. Your team started out with five. Three of you are dead, and you're sitting right here. That leaves one your boss. And Beckett against one guy? I like those odds," Castle said.

"What makes you think there's only one team in play?"

I didn't like the sound of that. If there are more people involved in this, then my aunt is truly in danger, and has a target on her back. I just hope we can get to the bottom of this, so I can get my aunt back.

* * *

A little while later, after they were done interrogating the woman, the three of us met up with Ryan and Castle by my aunt's office.

"Hey, I just got off the phone with an assistant AG in D.C., an Allison Hyde. She's leading the investigation in the deaths of her people. She's up on the first plane in the morning to take our hitter into federal custody," Esposito said.

"Does she have any idea of this Vikram guy's connection to Beckett?" Castle asked him.

"No. But she's pulling his records."

"So, we're nowhere."

Alexis walked over to her dad, giving him a side hug to comfort him during this hectic time. We heard the uniformed officers escorting the woman they interrogated earlier, out of the precinct, so we turned to watch them leave. What happened next caught everyone off guard. The woman elbowed one of the officers in the face, and then kicked the other. As everyone got their bearings, Ryan and Esposito grabbed their guns, while Castle grabbed Alexis and me.

The woman grabbed the one officer's gun and started shooting. Castle pulled Alexis and I down to the ground with him, hiding behind one of the desks. He held us down, as several rounds flew around the precinct.

"Shooter's down!" Esposito yelled.

Castle let us out of his grasp, and asked, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," Alexis said with a nod.

"Uh-huh," I said.

"Come on," he said as he pulled us up.

We made our way over to the now dead woman, and Castle said, "Oh, sweetie, don't look."

"Why did she do it? There's no way she thought she could escape," Alexis asked with confusion.

"It wasn't about escape. She knew her fate was sealed as soon as she got caught. That's why she went out on her own terms."

"And made sure we stay in the dark."

Alexis grabbed my hand, and we walked away from the scene that just unfolded, as Castle continued to ponder what was going on, probably wondering where my aunt could be.

* * *

It was late, so Castle and Alexis took me home, so I could get some rest. Of course I wasn't going to get any rest because my aunt was still missing, and I had no clue if she was safe or not. Sure, my aunt is the bravest woman I've ever known, but she's not invincible, and can only make it so far before… I tried hard not to think about the worst-case scenario, but things were looking bleak as each lead we got led to more questions and dead ends.

I figured I wasn't going to get anywhere with this, so I decided to throw on some clothes and headed to Castle's PI office because I knew they'd be there as they continued to work this case. When I got to Castle's PI building, I found two other familiar faces making their way inside. Mrs. Rodgers was the first to spot me, and said, "Emily, what in god's name are you doing wondering the streets at this hour?"

"I couldn't sleep, so I came here. I would've caught a cab, but I have no money on me," I said with a slight chuckle.

"All right, come on."

"Brave girl," Hayley said to me.

"You don't know the half of it," I said with a smirk.

"I think I'm going to like you."

I smiled at Hayley, and the three of us made it up to Castle's office. Mrs. Rodgers walked in first, and called out to her son, "Richard?"

"In here," he called.

"Ah. I thought you two might need a Pick-me-up," she said as she showed them the coffee, "Oh, and look who I found downstairs."

"Hey," Hayley said as we came in.

"That's funny. Last time I saw you, you said we were done. And Em, how'd you get here?" Castle asked with surprise on his face.

I shrugged and said, "I walked."

Everyone except Castle chuckled and he said, "8 blocks!? Alone… At night. We'll, we'll talk later."

Hayley change the subject and said, "Look, I feel bad about what happened. If I'd known I could've used you as bait, I would have stuck around and followed your kidnappers.

"Uh…" Mrs. Rodgers said with a huff.

"It was a joke."

"Not a very good one."

"Fair enough."

"What do you want, Hayley?" Castle asked.

"To help. I reckon that I owe you that much after what happened."

"She did give us the clue that found you," Alexis said.

"Well, yeah, after Esposito dragged her down to the precinct," Mrs. Rodgers chimed in.

"You're not wrong, mother, but we do need all the help we can get to find Beckett," Castle said.

"I was hoping you'd say that, because I've already got feelers out to contacts in high-traffic areas across the city cab companies, banks, hotels, train stations. I sent them pictures of Beckett and Vikram and asked them to spread them around, plus scan through their surveillance videos. If your wife is still in town, we will find her," Hayley explained.

"Ah, I told you she was a keeper," Mrs. Rodgers said.

* * *

We spent several hours at Castle's PI office, and I wound up crashing on the couch while everyone worked to get more information. Once early morning hit, we all went home and tried to reenergize a bit, hoping they would get something at the precinct. And the precinct happened to do just that, they wound up getting the surveillance video footage from the conversation my aunt had with Bracken yesterday at the correctional facility. We were watching the footage, and something my aunt said, happened to freak out Bracken.

"What did Beckett say that freaked him out so much?" Castle asked.

Ryan rewound the footage back and we listened closely to the conversation.

" _How do you know about Loksat_?" Bracken asked my aunt.

" _Doesn't matter how_. _The question is what is it, and why is there a hit squad running around the east coast, killing people to protect it?_ " my aunt questioned the man.

Ryan paused the video and said, "Loksat. Never heard of it."

"Me neither, but it clearly scares the hell out of Bracken," Esposito said.

"Figuring out what it means is key, and that's exactly what Beckett is doing," Castle said.

"Well, why don't we talk to Bracken and find out?" Ryan suggested.

"Yeah."

"No, not you, Castle. You're radioactive with this guy."

"Yeah, you should stay here and wait for the assistant AG. She's on her way up from D.C. to bring some federal muscle," Esposito said.

"All right," Castle said as they left to talk to Bracken.

Castle got out his cell phone, and dialed someone's number. I followed behind him, and listened in on the conversation, "Hey, Alexis. I have another clue…We? ...Was Beckett with him? … No, no, Alexis. I don't want you involved in this… Alexis, no. It is too dangerous… Alexis…"

Castle hung up with a huff, and I asked, "You okay?"

"No, Alexis hung up on me, and is digging into this case. I don't want her to get hurt."

"I understand, but she's an adult. And she's tough, and smart just like you. You gotta let her do her own thing. She can handle it."

He looked down at me and said, "I know, I just… I don't want to lose her. I don't want to lose your aunt either."

"Yeah, I don't want to lose them either. We just have to trust them, and have faith that they'll be able to handle themselves. We're not always going to be able to protect the ones we love, no matter how hard we try."

"When did you get so philosophical?"

"I don't know, I guess after all these years it was kind of instilled in me."

"Ugh, all of my girls are growing up on me."

"Don't worry Castle, it'll be okay. We may be strong, smart, and tough women, who are able to take care of ourselves, but we'll always be your strong, smart, and tough women."

"Come here mini Beckett," He chuckled out, as he pulled me into a tight hug, "You're the best, you know that? You always make me smile during the worst times."

I looked up at him with a smile, and said, "Well, I try."

"Why don't we head back to my office, and wait for Alexis and Hayley to bring some more information back."

"Sounds good to me."

* * *

Eventually Hayley and Alexis got back from the hotel my aunt and Vikram were at earlier, and they did manage to get some information. Vikram managed to pull up the papers that contained Loksat, so we tracked down the confidential papers too, even though the whole paper was pretty much blacked out except for Bracken's name and the word Loksat.

"Other than Bracken's name, there's nothing actionable in the memo itself. Only the word _Loksat_ ," Alexis said.

"There's something else written after it, but it's too smudged to read," Castle pointed out.

"I'll try and sharpen it."

Alexis zoomed in, and sharpened the blurred image, so we can figure out what it was.

" _2011_. A " _B_ " and a " _D_ ". All right. What does that mean?" Castle asked.

"Uh, 2011 could be the year. I don't know what " _BD_ " means," Hayley said.

Castle's phone started ringing and he said, "It's Esposito," he picked up and started speaking with him, "Hey, what's up? ... At the office… Nothing. You sidelined me, remember? … I can't… Look, it's gonna take me half an hour to get there. Why don't we just jump on a video conference? Give me a minute to dial you in."

He hung up and said to us, "You three should get out of sight. I'm not gonna mention we have this document. People connected to this thing are getting killed all over the place, so no sense putting ourselves in the cross hairs."

"Agreed," Hayley said.

"Thanks," he said as we walked behind the monitor, so we wouldn't be spotted.

" _Mr. Castle. We never met when you were in D.C., but I read the reports. You helped us out of a very tricky situation_ ," the assistant AG, Allison Hyde, said through the video chat.

"What can I say? My life kind of depended on it," Castle said.

" _Given the stakes here, I'm going to be blunt. Are you currently in contact with Captain Beckett?_ "

"No."

" _But she did rescue you last night_."

"Yes. And then she left me. So it's kind of a sore subject."

" _Did she happen to say anything about the man with her, Vikram Singh?_ "

"No. Why?"

" _When we started digging into him, we noticed some alarming discrepancies._ "

" _What kind of discrepancies_?" Ryan asked.

" _It appears that he forged his records to get a job with us. Vikram Singh is not the man he's pretending to be, which means we have to assume that he's up to no good._ "

After the video conference was over, the four of us tried to figure out what Loksat 2011 BD stood for. If we figure that out, we might be able to figure this whole thing out, and possibly find my aunt Kate.

"It's a product number. Serial number?" Castle threw out.

"Keypad code," Hayley said.

"Safe-deposit box," Alexis said.

"Code name?" Castle questioned.

We continued to ponder what it could be when Castle figured it out, "The tail number of an airplane."

We looked at him in surprise, and Alexis said, "Let's try to track it down."

"Yeah, if we find that plane, we might find Beckett."

* * *

Eventually we got the location of where the plane was, and Castle and Hayley quickly left the office to see if his hunch was correct. Turns out it was, and they were able to locate my aunt and Vikram. I was waiting patiently, well as patiently as I could, for them to get back to Castle's PI office. I heard the door open and I perked up, hoping it was them. A man walked in and I figured he was Vikram, so I went up to him and said, "Hi, you must be Vikram."

"Um… Yes… Who are you?" he asked.

"I'm Emily."

"Oh, Kate's niece, right?"

"Yep, that's me. Nice to meet you."

"You too."

"I'm going to say hi to my aunt."

"Okay," he said with a nod.

I went out to the reception area, and I found Aunt Kate and Castle hugging.

"Aunt Kate," I said.

"Hey, Em," she said as she opened her arms to me.

I gave her a long hug and said, "I missed you so much."

"I missed you too Em."

"I'm glad you're okay."

She cupped my face in her hands, and smiled down at me, "Me too. But it's still not over yet."

"I know… But I'm sure you guys will figure it out."

"I sure hope so."

"Yeah, me too. I'll call Espo and Ryan, see if they can get down here, and we can figure something out," Castle chimed in.

"Sounds good," she said to him before she looked back at me, "And I don't want you involved in this anymore. So you are going home."

"Aww, but Aunt Kate," I said.

"No buts, you already know too much. Trust me, okay?"

"Fine."

"I'll text Alexis, see if she can bring Em home," Castle said.

"Thanks Castle."

* * *

Alexis came to pick me up a little while later, and took me home. The next day, Castle, my aunt Kate, Ryan, and Esposito were implementing a plan to take down whoever this Loksat was. Castle and Aunt Kate were going to do an "interview" with the news, but it wasn't real, it was a setup. They knew that whoever else was involved in this thing would be watching, and more than likely, trying to get their hands on Beckett. And indeed, they were, they followed Castle back to his PI office, and Ryan and Esposito were able to take them down. Then Hayley wound up getting taken at the airport, and brought back another person involved, to Castle's PI office. But thankfully, Castle had his gun in the special compartment, and was able to take him down as well.

Then it turned out that the assistant AG, Allison Hyde, was involved in it as well. From what I heard, Allison Hyde was supposedly the mastermind of all this and behind the whole thing. Sadly, she knew that she was in to deep, and would be caught eventually, so instead of being taken down by the cops, she decided to take herself out. Everyone thinks this whole thing might be over, but I have a feeling it's not. I think there is still someone behind it all, and pulling the strings. I'm sure there are a lot more of Loksat's minions around, and he or she probably isn't satisfied with whatever they are trying to accomplish, so they'll be back at it again.

I'm just happy everyone's safe for now, and even though we should be worried, we can't keep digging into this. For now, we're out of it, and hopefully, Loksat will leave us alone. But with our history, it never quite works out that way.

Since it was all over, I was sitting in my room and listening to some music on my iPod. As I sat there, I started smelling food, and it smelled like it was burning. I decided to head downstairs to see what my Aunt and Uncle were cooking up in the kitchen. When I got there, I saw that the kitchen was slowly filling with smoke and Castle was staring at the front door which was wide open.

"Uncle Rick? Are you okay?" I asked him.

"She's gone."

"Who's gone?"

"Your aunt… She left."

"What!? What do you mean she left?"

"She wants to protect me, save our marriage. She left."

"No, we have to stop her," I said as I went to run out the front door.

Castle grabbed me, and I tried desperately to wiggle out of his hold on me.

"Emily, no. She's gone… You have to let her go."

"NO… She can't do this… It's not fair…" I said as I continued to struggle in his grasp.

Castle held onto me, both of us slowly dropping to the floor, as his arms wrapped around my waist, making sure I stayed put. I dropped my head and said through tears, "It took so long for you two to get together, and now… Now this… What if this doesn't work? I don't want you two to get divorced."

"Hey, hey… It's going to be okay. I'll get Kate back, some way… It's temporary," Castle said sadly.

I turned to look at him and said, "I have a feeling you don't truly believe that."

"I… I don't know."

"At least I'll be able to see her at the precinct."

"Yeah, she doesn't want a break from you… Only me."

"She wants to protect you."

"Exactly… It just sucks."

"I agree, it totally sucks."

We sat on the floor together, and I smelled the smoke once again, "Uh, Castle."

Castle turned to check the kitchen and the smoke was starting to get thicker, "Shoot…"

He quickly went to discard the burnt s'morlettes he was making before my aunt abruptly left him to take on what I'm assuming is Loksat. I should have known that she would continue to dig into whatever this is, and not want us involved. I just wish she didn't have to leave Castle, or just let this whole thing go, but that's not who my aunt is. She want's justice, and she won't rest until whoever this Loksat is, is taken down and we can live our lives without looking over our shoulders constantly.

I just hope my aunt doesn't get herself killed in the meantime. I know she knows what she's doing, but of course you can't help but worry what she's getting herself involved in, and it could be so much more dangerous than anything she's ever faced before. I just hope Castle will be able to handle her absence, but knowing Castle, he'll pull through in no time, and will probably do everything in his power to get his wife back, and probably wind up getting involved in this whole thing as well. I do know one thing is for certain, I'll be there every step of the way, and I'm going to do everything in my power to make sure we all make it through this.


	72. Chapter 72

AN: I was going to skip this episode, but I thought it'd be fun to mess with, and it'll help me lead into the next couple of chapters I have planned. And Happy Holidays!

This chapter is based on Season 8 Episodes 3 "PhDead". Thank's to everyone for following, favouring, and reviewing this story. Here's the next chapter everybody, enjoy. Don't forget to Review. :)

Disclaimer: I do not own Castle or it's characters.

* * *

Professor Doofus

Today was just another ordinary school day, and I was eating my breakfast at the kitchen isle like I always do. There was a small pile of mail to the left of me, which contained several letters and a medium sized, square package. Castle wasn't up yet, he's been kind of mopey since aunt Kate left, and I didn't blame him. I missed having her around as well, but there's not much we can do to bring her back.

A little while later, I heard Castle exiting his room, so I turned in my seat and said, "Good morning, Uncle Rick."

"Good morning, mini Beckett. What are you doing up so early?" he asked with confusion.

"It's a school day."

"Oh… Is it really?"

"Yes, it is."

"Do you need a ride?"

"No, I'll be fine. I can walk like I usually do."

"Okay," he said before his eyes landed to the package on the counter, "Oh, boy, oh, boy! She's finally here!"

He took off all the envelopes that were on top of the box, and placed them on the counter, before he grabbed an X-Acto knife to cut the box open.

"What's that?" I asked, as I watched him open it with giddiness.

"You'll see," he said as he pulled out the product that was covered in two blocks of Styrofoam to protect it.

He pulled the two pieces of Styrofoam from the item, revealing a pyramid shaped device that almost looked like the Luxor hotel in Las Vegas that I've seen in several different TV shows. Castle smiled at me before he grabbed some batteries, placing them inside the weird looking contraption. Once he was finished, he placed the pyramid back at the far-left side of the counter, before turning it on with just a press of a button. The base and tip of the pyramid turned blue, and Castle smiled before going to the opposite side of the kitchen isle, to face his new piece of technology. He leaned on the table, folding his arms in front of him, as he placed his chin on his hand, looking at the item with excitement.

"Hello. I'm your new home-operating system. My name is Lucy. What's yours?" the automated voice in the Pyramid asked.

I rolled my eyes as I remembered seeing several commercials of this home-operating system for the past couple of weeks. It's been really popular lately, and I should have known Castle would want to get one.

"Uh, my name is Rick Castle, and… And…" Castle zoned out for a second until he continued in a depressed tone, "my wife just left me."

"Yikes. Sucks to be you, Rick," Lucy said.

I started chuckling at the little voice box, and Castle looked at the machine strangely. I happened to check the time on the clock, and noticed I was going to be late if I didn't leave soon. I was so amused by Castle's new toy, that I wasn't keeping track of the time. I cleaned my mess up quickly before I grabbed my backpack and said to Castle, "See you later, Castle. Have fun with your new friend."

Castle rolled his eyes with a smirk and said, "Have a good day at school, Emily."

"Thanks."

I left the loft, and headed off to school for another day of the eighth grade.

* * *

I went to school, and was hoping to meet up with Mike before class started. Things between Mike and I have been really strange lately. Ever since he went off to summer camp, he hasn't been talking to me, or hanging out with me as much as we used too. Now that we don't have the same classes anymore, we barely see each other at school except for before and after, and occasionally lunch. I was wondering if I did something wrong since he's been avoiding me lately, but I'm sure I didn't though.

I was waiting by my locker like usual, and the bizarre sight that greeted me was one I definitely didn't see coming. My boyfriend, my best friend, had his arm around another girl, and not just any girl, it was Stacey who quickly became the most popular girl after her parents decided to send her here last year. I had no idea that Mike was even into her, let alone in her league. They were laughing together, and chatting to some of the other popular kids in our school. I stood at my locker paralyzed with shock as I watched him mingle with the in-crowd.

Once I snapped out of my daze, I decided to go up to them, and find out why Mike was hanging out with her and the popular kids. This didn't even seem real, not in the slightest. When I reached them, I tapped my friend on the shoulder and said, "Hey, Mike. Make new friends?"

"Uh… Hey, there Emily. I um… Yes," he said.

"Oh, so can I join you guys?"

Stacey stepped in and said, "No you can't. We don't accept losers like you in our club."

"What!? I don't see how I'm a loser. I never even did anything to you."

"Not yet, but come on Emily, there are so many stories of you going around this school, and they aren't very good, you should know that."

"What stories?"

"All your little horror stories. Your kidnappings, your involvement in so many people's deaths. It's quite disturbing."

"I didn't kill anyone… I just... I…"

"See, you can't even deny your involvement with anyone who dies around you. You're like a plague, an angel of death, and honestly, we don't want that bad aura around us. And Mikey here is lucky to get away from you before he meets his untimely demise."

I looked over at my friend and asked, "Is that what you think?"

He looked around at his new friends, before he said to me, "let's talk over here."

He pulled me over to a spot where there were less people, and I asked, "Are you breaking up with me?"

He nodded solemnly and said, "Yes… I'm sorry Emmy."

"Why her?"

"I don't know. We happened to go to the same summer camp, and something happened between us. I really like her, and now there are rumors going around that we might be the most popular couple in school."

"I can't believe you right now. I thought you'd never stoop to their level… I thought you never even wanted to be popular."

"I mean, I never really thought about it, but I like it. Plus, I grew over the summer, and became a different guy."

"Uh-huh sure… I honestly don't care, have fun with your new friends. But when she dumps you for someone else, don't come crying to me."

"Emily, don't be like this… We had to move on sometime…"

"Yeah, but I was hoping we could do that without losing our friendship, and everything we had together. Not just throwing it away like it was nothing."

"You're being dramatic."

I rolled my eyes and said, "You want to see dramatic…" I ripped off the bracelet he bought me for Christmas last year, and threw it at his chest, "Now that's being dramatic."

"Come on, Emily," he said with a small sigh.

"Don't talk to me, ever…"

I walked away from him, and as I passed the popular kids, Stacey said, "Hope he let you down easy."

I glared at her and said, "Screw you."

"Hmph… I'd keep walking if I were you Emily, we don't want you getting kicked out of another school."

I controlled my anger to the best of my ability, turning on my heel, so I could head to my first class. The whole time I was in first period, I couldn't stop thinking about how Mike dumped me for someone like Stacey. I knew it was going to be a long day after getting news like that, but I was going to do my best to push it out of my mind.

* * *

Today I thought it'd be just another ordinary day, like it usually is, but it seems I was oh so wrong. I guess since aunt Kate and Castle kind of broke up, my relationship with Mike was pretty much doomed too. Sure, we were young, and only in the eighth grade, but we were best friends, and now he was throwing it all away for her. I don't know what's so great about Stacey anyway. Well, she is extremely pretty, blonde, already wearing a non-training bra, and her parents are filthy rich with a big house and a pool. The only reason she had to come to a public school like this was because her parents didn't want her to turn out to be a well off, trust fund kid, who got everything handed to her. So far, it doesn't seem like any of the lessons they are trying to instill in her are sinking into that pretty blonde head of hers.

The whole walk home I thought about all the ways to get Mike back, and every name in the dictionary that I could call Stacey. When I got back to the loft, I was met by a very strange sight which made my mouth go agape. Castle was about to head out, but not in any usual attire, he was sporting a sophisticated looking jacket, a dress shirt that was buttoned up all the way to the top, an ugly maroon tie, and nerdy glasses.

"Um, Castle. Did I just enter a weird dimension or am I losing it?" I asked.

Castle chuckled and said, "No, mini Beckett. I'm winning back your aunt Kate."

"By dressing up sophisticatedly, because we all know even in that getup, you aren't fooling anybody."

"Well actually… Wait a minute… No… I am highly sophisticated, and I don't need this outfit to prove it. I'm going to become a guest professor at Hudson University, so I have to dress the part."

"I was kidding Castle. But seriously, how is this going to get aunt Kate back?"

"This is actually a ploy to get onto a case that the 12th is currently working on. A student from there was recently killed, so I figured I could get some info, help out your aunt, and show her why we need each other."

"Let me get this straight, you're becoming a guest professor to try and solve a case, so you can show aunt Kate that you two are meant for each other, because solving cases is one of the many reasons why you two got together."

"Exactly! See even you get it."

"Well, I understand. I don't think she's going to go for it though, but it's worth a shot."

"I think she'll be amazed by my assertiveness to work with her, solving a case just like old times, and she'll come back to me in no time."

"Uh, I hate to burst your bubble Uncle Rick, but it is aunt Kate you're talking about. According to previous events such as this, she wasn't to fond of you weaseling in on her cases, and now that she really wants some space, I think she might be even more opposed to this."

"Possibly, but I'm sure she'll see that she truly needs me, and we'll be able to rekindle what we once had."

"Hmm… sure."

"Anyway, I must be off. I have to meet with the Dean in 15 minutes, and I don't want to be late," Castle said as he got ready to head out the door.

"Good luck with your plan, Professor Doofus," I said with a small chuckle.

I earned myself a glare before he swiftly went out the door, leaving me alone with my thoughts. We didn't get any homework today, which was great, but I still had Mike and Stacey on the brain. So, I wound up flopping down on the couch with a long and loud sigh, trying to get them out of my mind for good.

"What's wrong?" Lucy asked.

I looked over my shoulder at the small pyramid, staring at it questionably, before I answered, "Nothing?"

"You don't sound certain."

"I'm not talking about my problems to a robot."

"I'm not just a robot, I am a specialized home-operating system, and have been programmed to help with anything you might need, including advice."

"Uh, well… Lucy… I have had a pretty rough day at school today."

"How is that Emily?"

"How do you know my name?" I asked the creepy robot.

"I have been programmed to recognize and pick up voices. Rick said your name earlier, so I picked up your voice and applied it to the name."

"Wow… Okay. I never thought I'd say this, but technology just got a whole lot scarier."

"Anyway, what happened at school?"

"Well, my boyfriend broke up with me."

"More relationship problems."

"Yes, this loft is filled with them."

"I say move on."

"That's it. You are a semi-sentient robot, and out of all the advice that could possibly be built up in your database and within your connection to the world wide web, you pick, _"move on"_."

"I only have so much information to go through, even with all my connections. And you are young, are you not?"

"Yes… I'm 13."

"So, the only possible advice I can provide for you is to move on, and that you have time."

"Thanks, I don't think I could have figured that out on my own."

"You're welcome."

"I was being sarcastic."

"Sorry, I still have trouble picking up certain voice patterns, which includes sarcasm."

"Right… Sorry."

"It's fine."

"Any more advice, or is that all you got?"

"I have one more."

"What is it?"

"To talk to someone you are close to. Supposedly a family member."

"I guess it couldn't hurt to get some advice from a real human being instead of a machine, no offence."

"None taken."

I smiled a bit and said, "Thanks Lucy. You're not so bad."

"Thank you, Emily."

"I'm going to head out now though, so uh… Bye…"

"Okay, goodbye."

I left the loft once again, and decided on who I was going to see to get some one-on-one advice, and maybe a small pep talk.

* * *

I got to Castle's office and what greeted me made my mouth go agape, just like it did not too long ago back at Castle's loft. Alexis was about to leave her dad's P.I. office, and she was now sporting bleach blond hair, with some dark highlights, and dark makeup which included some purple lipstick.

"Okay, this is the second time today I've been caught off guard by people's appearances. Am I really not going crazy?" I asked more so to myself than Alexis.

"It's just a wig Em," Alexis said with a small chuckle.

"Oh, okay. And why are you wearing a wig?"

"Dad asked me to help him with a case."

"Got it… So, he's roping you into his plans too."

"Yep, I have to try and get a potential suspect to talk about the victim. See if he knows anything."

"All right. Good luck with that."

"Thanks, Em. Was there anything you needed before I go?"

"No, I was just wondering about the case," I lied with a small smile.

She smiled with a short shrug and said, "Okay see you later, Em."

"See you," I said as I waved goodbye to her.

Once she was gone, I plopped down in the leather sofa Castle had, and let out a duplicate sigh from earlier. I stared up at the ceiling as I laid on my arms which I had behind my head, and thought to myself out loud, "Maybe, I should just move on. Mike was fun to hang out with for a while, but we're both growing up, and growing apart, so maybe him going out with Stacey isn't such a bad thing. I'll just have to make new friends and focus on school work."

I let out another sigh, and said, "Maybe I'm just in denial right now… Or did I skip it and go straight to acceptance. I have no clue, I'm not a psychiatrist. I just know, that whatever may happen between here and now, I'll move on completely and will be doing my own thing. At least I hope…"

* * *

So, Castle was still trying to figure out this case, and trying to win back my aunt Kate. Castle and Alexis went to a frat party last night along with Esposito and Ryan. Of course, I had to stay home, because it was a school night, and frat parties aren't really appropriate for 13-year old's, so they say. At least I finally managed to get Stacey and Mike out of my head until I happened to see them canoodling at school today. It felt like every time I passed them in the halls, Stacey deliberately tried to get me jealous as she snuggled closer to my ex-best friend.

I managed to ignore them though, but if I have to deal with this for the rest of the school year, I don't think I'll be able to hold back on Stacey. If I do happen to lash out on her, I'll be in serious trouble with my family, especially if I get kicked out of another school. I just have to keep my head held high, and make it until we go off to high school next year. And hopefully I can pick a high school that neither of them are attending because I don't want to deal with that for a whole four years.

Since Castle has been busy with his plans to win back my aunt, I decided to pay a visit to said aunt at the precinct. I walked into her Captain's office and said, "Bonjour, aunt Kate."

She raised a brow at me, as I plopped down into one of the seats that was in front of her desk, and she said, "Hi Em. What are you doing here?"

"Can't a niece visit her aunt when she misses her?"

"Well, yes, but…'

"It's been awhile since you left, you know. So, I thought I'd stop bye, and pay you a visit."

"Mmm-hmm, it's only been a week and a half since I left."

"Still too long in my book."

She sat back in her chair, looking at me carefully, before she asked, "And this has nothing to do with Castle working on this case?"

"No, I had nothing to do with that. It was all his idea."

"I can believe that. Seriously Em, what's up?"

"Nothing is up. I just wanted to see you."

She was about to say something else, but was cut off by none other than Castle himself, "Yet another case closed courtesy of Richard Castle Investigations."

We walked out of aunt Kate's office, and into the hall, where we found Castle leading a woman in handcuffs over to us.

"I'm so glad I decided to drop bye," I said with a snicker.

Aunt Kate gave me sharp look before she asked Castle, "Um, who is this woman? And are you in handcuffs?"

"This man abducted me," the woman aid with anger.

"It's not an abduction. It's a citizen's arrest. Please get it straight," he said to the woman before answering aunt Kate, "Beckett, please meet Dr. Lillstrom. She was Peter's teacher with benefits. The real kinky kind, too. But when Peter ended their trysts, she locked him up in a secret, underground prison experiment, which is where I caught her. You're welcome, honey."

"You went to an underground prison? Alone?" Aunt Kate asked him.

"No, not alone. I had Alexis with me."

"Oh, well, since you had backup. Are you kidding, Castle? Your daughter?"

"When you say it in that tone, I sound like a bad parent. Regardless, Dr. Lillstrom is a suspect. Trust me."

"Fine," she said before she handed off Dr. Lillstrom to a uniformed officer.

Aunt Kate turned to Castle and said, "There's protocol. You know that. If you had a lead, you should have called us."

"Oh, believe me, I wanted to, but they locked us up in a cell," he said.

"No, I mean, you should have called us be… wait, they locked you up? You know what? Never mind. I don't want to know. Just go find Ryan and Espo and take them to the prison."

Castle walked off to find Esposito and Ryan, and Dr. Lillstrom said, "That man is insane. I'm innocent."

"If he says you're a suspect, then trust me you are far from innocent. Let's go," Aunt Kate said as she walked past her, heading to the holding cells.

* * *

A little while later, Castle, Ryan, and Esposito returned with empty hands. Apparently while Castle was bringing in the Dr., the students at the prison cleared the place out as fast as they could. Castle was currently pacing in front of my aunt and I, apologizing about messing up the case, "Sorry, Beckett. I screwed up."

"Yeah, you did," she agreed.

"And I jeopardized the entire case."

"Again, yes. But you know what? If it wasn't for you, then we'd still be thinking that Peter's prison uniform was a Halloween costume."

Esposito made his way over and said, "So, I've been digging into Dr. Lillstrom. Did you know that for the past decade, she's been contracting with the army, working psy ops?"

"Wait a minute. The Navy funded the first, the original Stanford Prison experiment. Maybe the army is behind Dr. Lillstrom's modern-day incarnation," Castle suggested.

"That would explain how the place was scrubbed so quickly."

"Now, why would the military be interested in a bunch of college students playing prison?" Aunt Kate asked.

"Well, the government's in need of new counterterrorism techniques aimed at the millennial generation how to get into the minds of young terrorists and break them."

"And what better source of lab rats than the millennials here at home?"

"But we'll never get those surveillance tapes back, so how do we prove that Lillstrom left the prison to kill Peter after he escaped?"

"We need a confession."

"Well, the doc likes mind games, right?" Castle mentioned.

Castle and Aunt Kate came up with a plan to get Dr. Lillstrom to talk. Once they figured it out, Aunt Kate went to the holding cells to try and get the doctor to speak. Thankfully the plan did manage to get her to speak, and we found out who Peter was really sleeping with. It turned out to be none other than the dean herself, Dean Feller. They brought her in for questioning, but that didn't really lead to anything, except for more questions, and the main one still being, who killed Peter?

"You're not buying this, are you? No confession. No smoking gun. It's just Not clean," Castle said to aunt Kate as she made her way over to us.

"Well, that's how homicides are sometimes. You know that," she said.

"Yeah, but something's still bothering me. There's a part of the mystery that hasn't been solved yet. We're missing part of the story."

"And how do you suggest we find it?"

"The same way we always do. We start at the beginning, back at the prison."

"You just want an excuse to get me alone."

"No, Beckett, I just want the truth. What really happened to Peter that night."

Castle and Aunt Kate left for the prison, and I knew Castle's true intentions were to get Aunt Kate exactly where he wanted her, but he did want to solve the case as well because he liked knowing how the story ends. I just hope he doesn't push aunt Kate any further away while he's working on his plan to get her back. But I know my Aunt Kate, and whatever she's dealing with right now, she'll eventually finish it, and come back to us when she's ready, at least I hope.

* * *

Eventually, Aunt Kate and Castle came back with word on who the killer was. It turned out to be Peter's cell neighbor, Emily. They formulated a plan and happened to escape together, but instead of running away, she killed Peter, before returning to her cell. Apparently, the experiment messed with her head so much that she just snapped, and killed him. It's pretty depressing when you think about what they went through in there, but at least we were able to put a stop to this experiment before anyone else got hurt.

I was back at Castle's PI office, along with him and Alexis, and they were pouring themselves a small glass of Scotch in the back room. Alexis handed over the bottle to her dad and he said, "That is… Fifty-year-old Scotch."

"Yeah. I bought a case of it," she said.

"Alexis, that's expensive."

"Relax, dad. The company paid for it," she said before making her way over to Castle's desk where I was currently at.

"Oh, okay…. W-wait. That means I paid for it," he said as he walked over.

"To closing the case," she said as she raised her glass.

"To generous expense accounts," he said as they clinked glasses and took a sip of their Scotch.

"So, any progress with Beckett?"

"You know, at the prison, we, um, sort of had a moment."

"Really?" I asked.

"Yeah. I think my plan is working. I mean, it has to, right?"

It was silent for a between the three of us before Castle got out a cigar box and said, "Um, you know what? We're gonna start a tradition. For when we solve a case together."

"I don't smoke, and neither do you," Alexis said.

"Who said anything about smoking?" he questioned her before he blew on the cigar, making bubbles come out and float around us.

Alexis and I chuckled at him, before she grabbed one of her own and joined her dad, blowing bubbles into the office air. Castle chuckled as well, and said, "Go ahead mini Beckett. Join the fun."

"You don't have to tell me twice," I said as I grabbed one of my own bubble blowers.

We continued to blow bubbles together for a little while, and even though the last few weeks have been crummy, I at least have a few people in my life that I could still have fun with, and forget my worries until the next one comes along.


	73. Chapter 73

***WARNING*** : Bullying, Depression, Suicidal thoughts, Attempted Suicide...

Disclaimer: I do not own Castle or it's characters.

* * *

Falling Down

It's been a little over 2 and a half months since Aunt Kate left Castle. It's been 2 months since Mike left me for Stacey. And it's been a little over a month since the excessive bullying started at school. I've been trying so hard to ignore all the feelings I've been having because of these three different scenarios, but it's much harder than I thought to keep everything bottled up inside. Some might say that what I've been doing is extremely unhealthy, but what am I supposed to do? Everyone's been so busy lately, and I feel like I've been pushed to the back burner, and they'll get back to me when they can.

For a while I was able to handle it, but lately it seems like I'm just trudging along, and putting a fake smile on my face. I don't think anyone knows how I really feel inside. I believe that they still think I'm fine with everything that's been going on. Castle's still trying to win back my aunts affection, my Aunt Kate is still trying to push us away, Alexis has been helping her dad, Mrs. Rodgers has been working on some plays, everyone at the 12th has their own issues to be dealing with, and me, I'm just trying to make it one day at a time.

You're probably wondering where all this is coming from, and to tell you the truth, I'm not a hundred percent sure. I'm sitting here on my uncle's bathroom floor, holding a bottle of prescription drugs that belongs to him, and tears streaming down my face as I contemplate life and death. How did I manage to get into this predicament right here, right now? I guess we should just start from the beginning, which started a whole twenty-four hours ago.

* * *

24 hours earlier

It's winter in New York once again, and the leaves have already fallen from the trees, making them look barren and depressing. Plus, the weather has been cold as heck. Things with Uncle Rick and Aunt Kate have been iffy. I mean, you can tell his tactics to win her back have been working slightly, especially when their anniversary came around. So, at least for their anniversary everything seemed to be somewhat normal for those twenty-four hours, but as soon as the next day came around, it was back to the "new norm" for everybody. But there has been one big step in the right direction since everything has been going on, Castle and aunt Kate got stuck on a cruise ship together whilst solving a murder, and Castle believes everything that happened that day brought them closer together, and that his plan was working.

Even though I have yet to see any main progress with this whole thing, I'm hoping that it is working because I miss my aunt Kate and want her back home. I actually miss Castle too, and of course he's around and I get to see him here and there, but he's been so occupied with winning my aunt back, I barely get to see him unless it's in passing. It's just not the same as it was a year ago, and honestly, I miss that, but no one will listen to me, I'm just a thirteen-year-old with no say in anything.

Anyway, besides that whole fiasco, school hasn't been the best either. Classes were getting harder, Stacey and Mike were getting annoying, and somehow, they managed to turn everyone against me. Now I've become the outcast of my whole school. At first it didn't bother me, but now, every time I walk through the halls, I here murmurs and get side eyed by everyone I pass. I don't think anyone at home has noticed my rapid decline of enthusiasm for school, or that I've flunked two of my classes this quarter. I haven't really been telling them what's been going on lately either, but it's not like they're asking since they are so busy with their own drama.

Speaking of the dreaded school, that's where I was heading now, and I had my hands shoved deep in my jacket pockets, my beanie was snug on my head, and my hoodie was over top of it. It wasn't as cold as it has been for the last few days, but the weather still wasn't very pleasant. And since everything in my life has been pretty sucky lately, the weather wasn't helping me cope with this either, especially with it being extremely gloomy with all the fog and cloudy skies. The depression was hitting hard, but I was powering through it, nothing was going to hold me down.

* * *

I arrived at school after wandering through the local park for a little bit, and as soon as I stepped through the front door, the looks started heading my way just like they have been for the past month. I kept my head down and continued to my locker without sparing a glance to anyone who was looking my way. When I reached my locker, I started riffling through it quickly, so I could get to class and wait for the bell to ring because staying in the hall has been unbearable as of late.

My locker neighbor made his way over with his friend, and I caught on to part of their conversation as I continued to rummage through my things.

"I can't believe you have to have your locker next to the freak," his friend whispered with a small chuckle.

"Shut up… It's not my fault my last name is Baker and got put next to her," my neighbor whispered back.

I slammed my locker shut when I was done, and gave the two boys a dirty glare, before I went off to class. As I started to walk away from the two buys, I heard the friend say, "What's her problem? She's such a weirdo."

I got to class and put my head down as soon as I sat down at my table. I heard footsteps coming over to me, and then someone tapped a few times on my table.

"Emily?" my teacher, Mr. Gillion, asked.

I pulled myself together, and put on a fake half smile, trying to look tired, and said, "Yep, I'm okay, just a little tired sir."

He smiled softly at me and said, "I remember those days. Try and get some good night sleep over the break, and then you'll be refreshed and ready to go for the last half of the school year. Okay, miss Beckett?"

"Yes, I will… Friday can't come fast enough."

"I know the feeling, but I secretly want it to last a little longer. I'm visiting the in laws and well, lets just leave it at that…"

I chuckled a bit and said, "Good luck, Mr. Gillion."

"Thanks. Anyway, class will be starting soon, hope you're ready for some ancient Mayan history."

"Yeah, so excited…"

He laughed and walked back to the white board, so he could put some more information up, getting ready for all of his classes today. I slummed down in my seat and waited to get this day over with, so I could head home and drown my sorrows while listening to some rock music, sulking in my bed.

* * *

Eventually, school was over for the day, and there was only one day left until winter break was a go. I couldn't wait to be off of school for two weeks, so I didn't have to deal with the obsessive staring and harsh words that people think I don't here. As I was making my way to the front door of the school to leave, Stacey shoulder checked me and said, "Watch where you're walking, psychopath."

"Why are you doing this to me!? You have Mike, you have your popular friends, and you've turned the whole school against me, so just leave me alone," I said to her with exasperation in my voice.

"Because you don't belong here Emily, you don't belong anywhere," she said with a huff.

Mike made his way over to the two of us and asked, "What's going on?"

"Tell your girlfriend to stop harassing me. I don't care if you all hate me and want to destroy my life, just stop being around me, please," I said to him.

"I can't tell her what to do, I just… I don't know Emily."

"What do you mean, _you don't know_? I can't believe you're okay with this, I thought you were my friend."

"We were friends, but I think Stacey has a point. Maybe you aren't the best person to be around, and it seems like your family life hasn't been the…" I stopped him mid-sentence, slapping him hard across the face and said, "Don't bring up my family. It has nothing to do with this. You don't even know what's been going on, so leave your assumptions to yourself."

"I see my boyfriend struck a nerve in that cold dark heart of yours. Is family a sore subject for you right now?" Stacey questioned me with a smirk.

"That's none of your business."

"I guess they don't want to deal with you either, huh? Poor Emily, all alone, and no one wants to deal with her shenanigans anymore."

"Come on Stacey," Mike sighed.

I just shook my head, not wanting to hear this any longer, and walked away, heading out the door. I wiped the tears from my face and tried to erase what Stacey said to me, but it was hard to do because some of the things she said, I believe to be somewhat true. I decided there was only one thing to do at a time like this, to go talk to someone, so I decided to head to the precinct and see my aunt, so she can help me through this.

* * *

I arrived at the precinct a little while later, and found Aunt Kate rifling through some stuff, getting ready to head out. She noticed my presence in the room and said, "Hi, Em. I'm sorry to say, I'm about to head out. It's been really busy around here lately, and we're swamped with cases, so I can't really talk."

"Oh, I understand," I said with a sigh.

"I'm really sorry. Maybe when things slow down a bit we can spend the day together, how's that?"

"Yeah, sounds good…"

My aunt looked at me curiously, but before she could say anything, Vikram came into the room and said, "Um, sorry… I just need to talk to you, Captain Beckett."

"All right, give me a sec," she said to him.

He gave us a tight nod, before he left the room, leaving us alone once again. Aunt Kate let out a frustrated sigh and said, "I have to go Em, but I promise we'll hang out and talk soon. I love you."

"Love you too, Aunt Kate," I said with a small smile.

She smiled meekly at me, patting my shoulder softly before she left her office. I let my shoulders slump down while letting out a defeated sigh and wondered who to go to next. I figured it wouldn't hurt to go to Castle's PI office, there's bound to be someone there that I could talk to, so that was my next stop on my to do list.

* * *

I arrived at Castle's office, and when I walked in, I found Hayley, Alexis and Castle checking something out on his computer. I walked up to the desk and asked, "Whatcha guys doing?"

"We are solving a case," Castle said with a wide grin.

"Yeah, dad got a client today and it turned out to be something big, so Hayley is helping us out," Alexis mentioned.

"I am, and we just got a lead, so we were just about to head out," Hayley said.

"Want to join us mini Beckett?" Castle asked me.

"Uh, no… I think I'll sit this one out, I'm a little tired today," I said with a small chuckle.

Castle cocked his head to the side, studying me, but he shrugged and said, "Well, suit yourself."

"You sure you don't want to go Emily?" Alexis questioned me.

"I'm positive, I'll catch the next one. Plus, winter break is coming up, so I'll have more time on my hands," I said with a shrug.

"Okay, if you say so."

They all waved goodbye to me as they filed out of Castle's office, and once I heard the door close, I ran a hand through my hair with a sad sigh. It seemed like my plan to have a conversation about my feelings are falling through, and everyone's to busy to give me any time. Stacey's right, I am all alone, and it's not like anyone doesn't want to deal with me, they're just so occupied with their own stuff, that I have become their last priority. It wasn't fair, but like they say, sometimes life isn't fair.

I wiped a few stray tears that fell from my face, and decided to head home, and clear my mind of everything that's been bothering me for the past couple of months.

* * *

I was currently laying in my bed, listening to some rock music on my computer as I skimmed through social media. As I looked at some recent posts from friends, I received a notification that I was tagged in a post. I decided to check it out, and what I saw was a seemingly harmless picture of myself, but the poster of the image and the statement on the post weren't as harmless. It happened to be Stacey and the post read: " _This is the loser who attends, J.P. Shudder Middle School, and has the hots for my boyfriend. He used to be hers, but she was to stupid to see that she could never keep him because A) she's an ugly duckling, B) she has been involved in several murders, and C) she's just an all-around oddball. Don't be fooled by her sweet lies, she's just a no-good freak who should be band from our school, and every other place in this city. She'll only get everyone killed and wont even bat an eyelash after you are gone. So, if I were you, I'd stay away from this disgusting piece of trash because it'll only lead you to a path of pure destruction. Like if you agree ;)!_ "

Just a few seconds after the post went up, a whole lot of notifications started to pop up on my computer. I was hesitant to read them because nothing good was going to come out of that, but I couldn't help myself, the curiosity was winning out. I reloaded the page and all of the recent messages popped in under the feed, and I started skimming through some of them as tears brimmed my eyes.

" _Isn't she that weird mystery writers step niece or something? I think that whole family is weird from what I've seen in interviews and what not… Funny pic though XD_ " – Frank Darsh

" _Ew, I never liked her. She used to sit next to me in sixth grade math, and I hated it!_ " – Darcey Lopez

" _I thought she was cute, but after I heard about all her kidnapping stories, I stayed away from her. She seems like danger…_ "– Benny McMillian

" _Who would even be caught dead with her? (No pun intended lol) I mean, do you even see the outfits she wears, such a tomboy, and I didn't even know she liked guys to be honest._ " – Amelia Zimmerman

I read through about ten more before I slammed my laptop shut, and cried into my hands. Was I really that bad that everyone didn't like me? Did I really dress that strangely that people think I have no style? Was I really a loser? I wonder if this is how my mother felt when she was younger to lead her down that road to do drugs, which eventually killed her. Was I destined to become my mother, and follow in her footsteps? Did she curse me somehow to become the next unloved, unworthy Beckett?

I continued to sit on my bed, replaying everything that my peers were saying on that thread that Stacey had started. I couldn't move from my bed, as I continued to feel hopeless within this new conundrum I have found myself in. I had no one to turn to even though they said they'd always be around for me when I needed their support, but it looks like I'm on my own as I deal with this bullying problem. I could tell my principle, but I heard about a few others who have went to her for bullying, and all the bully's got was a few weeks of detention and a week suspension. Yet when the one being bullied finally stands up for themselves, they wind up getting weeks of suspension, or even worse, expelled.

I weighed out my options on what to do, and decided to wait it out, and see if it gets better. I'm sure once break starts, and people get tired of picking on me, everything will go back to normal. I had a much larger life ahead of me, and I'll be able to push past this small bump in the road, and one day I'll look back on this and remember that I was the bigger person, being able to overcome this bullying problem. I flopped back onto my bed and ran my hands down my face, laughing cynically at the ridiculous statement I just made. How was I supposed to do that? This is sure to follow me for years, even if everyone at my school decides to stop picking on me, it'll still be fresh on my mind, and probably the internet, because everything is forever on the internet.

Hours went bye as I laid in bed, staring at the ceiling of my room, and tried to figure out what to do next. I guess the only thing to do was to finish this half of the school year, and rethink everything during winter break. Maybe by then everything in my personal life will have settled down enough that I could talk to my aunt and/or uncle about my bullying situation. I was hoping that someone would come home, but it seems like it'll be another late night, so I'm alone, just like I have been for weeks. After everything that's happened today, I wasn't even hungry enough to eat anything for dinner, so I skipped it. Not the healthiest of choices, but I just couldn't bring myself to eat anything.

It was slowly rolling on midnight and I figured if I didn't go to sleep now, I'll be in no mood to get up tomorrow for the last day of school. Not that I was really looking forward to it anyway, but skipping school isn't the answer, and if I miss anymore school days, I'll probably get into some other trouble that I don't want to deal with right now.

* * *

I took my good old time this morning as I got ready for school because I was definitely not in any hurry to get there. The later I am, the less time I have to be exposed to the stares and hateful murmurs of the students in the halls. Once I was completely ready, I headed down stairs, and was greeted by a note on the kitchen counter. I picked it up and noticed it was in Castle's handwriting, " _Good morning mini Beckett, I got home late last night after finishing the case, hope you weren't too lonely. I promise I'll make it up to you soon, maybe we'll get pancakes at that restaurant you like. Anyway, Espo and Ryan called and asked if I'd like to help with a new case that the 12th got, so that's why I'm not home right now. Hope you have a good last day before Winter break, and I'll see you later… Love, Castle."_

It was hard not to smile at that little note, and was happy not to be forgotten, but it still didn't fully make up for the past month. I threw the note in the trash and quickly had a bowl of cereal before heading off to school. I took the scenic route through the park like I've been doing for a while now and hoped that everyone would be preoccupied with their thoughts of winter break, and they'll forget all about pestering me. If only I'd be so lucky. The whole way to my locker it seemed like even more eyes were on me than usual, and it felt like they were basically leading me to my locker, like people cheering participants on during a marathon, only not as fun and encouraging.

When I got to my locker, Stacey was standing right next to it with a smirk on her face. Mike was right behind her, and kept his head hung low, trying desperately not to make eye contact with me. I gulped not knowing where this conversation was going to lead, but I tried to be civil, "What do you want Stacey?"

"I just came to apologize about the past few days," she said with a huff.

I raised a brow at her, not believing her one bit, and said, "I don't believe that. Why are you really here?"

"Come on, take the apology because you know you'll never get another one from me."

"Mike, is she telling the truth?"

Mike looked at me slowly, and said, "Yes… She is."

"You're lying, the both of you."

"If you don't believe me then check your locker. I put an apology in there," Stacey said as she crossed her arms.

I stared at her for a few seconds before I hesitantly opened my locker. When I got it opened, a bunch of small index cards started to fall towards the floor and around my feet. As a pile laid on the floor below me, there was still a small pile in my locker. I picked one of the cards up and it had one word written on it, " _FREAK_ "

My face contorted into confusion as I continued to look at the little piece of paper in my hand. I threw it to the floor and grabbed another one out of my locker and read it silently, " _SATANS CHILD_ "

I threw that one towards the ground and continued to pull out the little pieces of paper, reading each and every one of them.

 _LOSER._

 _KILLER._

 _IDIOT._

 _NUT JOB._

 _WEIRDO._

 _CREEP._

 _EMO KID._

 _UGLY._

 _ANNOYING._

 _PSYCHOPATH._

After reading my fair share of the index cards, I looked up at the main people who started this, with tears in my eyes. I couldn't even pull myself together enough to say anything, I didn't know how I felt inside. I definitely felt betrayed by my best friend because I know Stacey would do something like this, but for him to go along with it and not stop her, that hurt the most.

"Are you going to cry!? Are you going to go run home to your mommy?" Stacey smirked and said, "Oh wait, you don't have a mommy, because she died. And it's just a matter of time before everyone else in your life starts to drop like flies, and it's all because of you Emily, because you are a curse to us all."

"Shut up," I mumbled.

"Aww, you poor baby. You can't even come up with a good comeback. I know you want to hit me right now, but you can't, can you?"

"I said shut up…"

"Hit me Emily… Get expelled from another school, I dare you!"

I looked over at Mike who was standing behind Stacey, and all he did was look down at his shoes, as he desperately tried not to get involved. I was disappointed in him, and thought he'd be kind enough to help me out in a situation like this, but it looks like I was wrong. I looked around at my other peers, and some of them were snickering quietly, as others mumbled things to their friends. At least some looked on worriedly, but didn't dare intervene, because they probably didn't know what to do.

"So, what are you going to do Emily… You know we don't want you here, you're just a menace to us all, isn't that right everybody?" Stacey said as she looked around.

"Yeah," the majority of the kids around us said loudly, while others just mumbled it.

Tears started to roll down my face, and I didn't want to give them the satisfaction to see that they broke me, so I ran for the exit of the building. As I ran as fast as I could to get out of that school, I heard everyone laughing behind me, Stacey's laugh being the most wicked one of all. I finally reached the front of the building and stood on the top step, trying to catch my breath while tears ran freely down my cheeks. I couldn't think straight, and I didn't know what to do. Part of me told me to go see Aunt Kate, Castle, or anyone who could help me, but another half of me just wanted to run home, curl into a ball, and di… I tried to push the terrible thoughts from my mind as I frantically paced the top step, trying to think of what to do.

All I could hear in the back of my mind was everything that those index cards said, what Stacey said, and how they all laughed at me. I didn't even know how disliked I was until recently, and it's mostly because of Stacey having everyone wrapped around her little finger, but they must have had some of these kind of feeling towards me already. They wouldn't have been coerced into those feelings so easily by Stacey if they didn't already have those kinds of feelings for me.

I decided to run home, and figure all this out on my own. I just needed to be alone right now. It's not like Castle and Aunt Kate have been willing to listen to what I had to say lately anyway. They've been to busy with their "grown up" stuff, and it was getting to be extremely annoying. I just wanted them to fix whatever they were going through right now, so they could help me through what I was going through.

* * *

I returned home, and threw my backpack against the side table by the couch, and started pacing around the room. I took my beanie off and threw it on top of my backpack as I ran my hand threw my messy brown hair. I stared at Castle's bedroom and contemplated something that I shouldn't even think about. But I couldn't stop, my mind was racing and everything within me was doing things involuntarily. My legs started walking on its own as they carried me to the destination I was thinking of, Castle's bathroom. I stood inside of his bathroom, looking at my tired, broken, and depressed face in the mirror. I looked terrible, but I didn't have time to reflect on it, my body pushed on without me being able to stop it. I opened the medicine cabinet and stared at the different pill bottles that were in there, from over the counter drugs to prescription ones.

My arms weakly reached out for the first bottle it felt like grabbing, and I pulled it from the cabinet. I closed the door, and looked down at the bottle in my hand, as I continued to fight with myself on what I should do. I looked back at my reflection in the mirror, and got angry at myself for everything that was wrong in my life. Maybe I am to blame for everything that's happened for the last 5 years. It seems like nothing has been going right for me, and now Castle and Aunt Kate were at odds with each other, and everyone seems so distant lately, maybe if I wasn't around everything would be fine. Of course, I don't know that for sure, but I bet they would have been better off without me.

I kept getting angrier and angrier as I stared down my stupid face in the mirror. I couldn't take any of this anymore, I was done being a nuisance to the society and getting myself into dozens of situations that I could have avoided if I was smarter, and better, like everyone else around me. I was a disgrace and no body cared for me anymore, they were done with me. I punched the mirror with the adrenalin that was building up in my body, and barely shattered it with the small strength that I had in my thirteen-year-old body. It did crack slightly, and I did wind up cutting my hand, blood slowly trickling down my knuckles. I didn't even care at this point as it dripped onto the tiled floor of Castle's bathroom. I continued to stare at my now distorted face in the mirror and gripped the pill bottle tighter in my left hand. I walked backwards until I hit the backwall, and slid down it as I let out a large sob that I've been holding in since I ran from school.

I sat there for several minutes looking over the bottle, contemplating what my next actions would be. I thought about my aunt, uncle, grandfather, Alexis, Mrs. Rodgers, Lanie, Ryan, Esposito, and everyone else who was in my life. They would be devastated if I did this, but I can't pull myself away from this thought. I'll miss them, and I'm sure they'll miss me, but maybe I'll be able to see my mom again. Aunt Kate said along time ago that I'll probably end up like her, so here I am, living up to those words. I guess I'm not much better than her, and I never will be. Doesn't the saying go, _the apple doesn't fall far from the tree._

I popped the top off of the bottle and poured the little pills into the palm of my hands. There were about 8 or 9 there, and I didn't know if it'd be enough to do the job, but honestly, I still wasn't a hundred percent sure if I wanted to do this. That little voice in the back of my head was telling me not to, but the rest of me was ready for it. I tried to pop the pills two at a time, but it was getting harder and harder, so I wound up taking the last four one by one. I leaned my head back on the wall, staring up at the ceiling as tears continued to stream down my face, and wondered if what I was doing was right. It probably wasn't, but I couldn't think clearly, everything just so messed up in my head right now, I don't even know what to do.

I closed my eyes and waited for the inevitable to come, but part of me hoped someone would find me here before it's to late, so I could get a second chance. Miracles do happen sometimes, right?

* * *

3rd Person POV

Kate was looking through some notes that Vikram had given her earlier, and was still trying to figure out who this Loksat was, and how everything was connected. She felt like she was getting no where in this case, but now that she had enlisted Castle's help with this, and is starting to patch things up in her marriage, she doesn't feel as stressed as she did a few weeks ago. She was still worried that Castle could get hurt being linked to this, but he weaseled his way into her heart like he did all those years ago, and she honestly could use his help. They always did work best together and this Loksat case would be no different.

The only thing is, they still had to keep a small distance between each other, and not let anyone find out about them getting back together. If anyone finds out, and it happens to get back to Loksat somehow, then Castle, and possibly everyone else in her life could be in grave danger. Of course, Kate didn't want that, but distancing herself hasn't been helping either, so she has to mange to balance everything out somehow. Hopefully, without getting everyone killed.

Her cellphone started ringing, bringing her out of her wondering thoughts. She thought it'd be Castle or the boys, but it turned out to be Emily's school. Kate let out a sigh before she picked up the phone, "Katherine Beckett speaking."

"Hello, Ms. Beckett. Are you aware that Emily isn't at school today?" the principle asked.

"Um… No, I wasn't. I actually have been going through some things lately, so I figured my husband, her uncle, would be on top of it."

"Well, she didn't show up today. It's fine since it's the last day before winter break, but I just found it odd that she didn't show up."

"Yeah, it is. Thank you for giving me a call."

"No problem, but before you go, I have a couple of other things to mention about Emily."

"Yeah, go ahead."

"She has been skipping some of her classes lately and has been flunking some of them as well. She's usually a pretty decent student, but for the past few months it's gone downhill."

"Really?"

"You didn't know?"

"I… I guess I haven't been really paying attention since... since Castle and I broke up. I should have seen the warning signs."

"I'm sorry Ms. Beckett. I understand things are tough at home, but it seems like Emily might be taking things hard. From what I know, she has been through a lot, and middle school doesn't help with those facts. I hope you can get through to her over the break, because I don't want to see her repeating the eighth grade. I want to see Emily move on with the rest of her grade to high school. She is truly a smart girl."

"Thank you, I hope so too. I'll get to the bottom of it, and hopefully there will be a new and improved Emily when school starts back up in January."

"Great to hear. Hope you guys have a good holiday, and work things out."

"Thanks, you too."

"Thank you. Goodbye, Ms. Beckett."

"Goodbye."

Kate hung up her phone and let out a huff of annoyance geared more towards herself than at Emily. She was still angry that Emily would skip school today, and that she didn't tell her that she's been struggling with her classes, but she wasn't around much either. Kate sighed and dialed Castle's number to ask him if he has seen Emily today.

"Hello Beckett, miss me?" Castle asked chipperly.

"No, well yes, but that's not why I'm calling," Kate said.

"Okay, so what's up?"

"Have you seen Emily? I just got a call from her school, and they said she didn't come in today."

"Huh, that's unlike Emily to skip school."

"That's what I said, but apparently she's been skipping and flunking some of her classes lately."

"Wow, I didn't know that."

"Me either. So, have you seen her Castle?"

"Actually no… Not since yesterday when she came into my office."

"She came here as well."

"Do you think she was trying to tell us something?"

"I don't know, Castle… Do you think you can look for her for me? I don't want her getting into any trouble."

"Sure thing, I was just on my way home, so I'll see if she's there."

"Thanks Castle, let me know if you find her."

"Will do, Kate. I'll talk to you later."

"Okay, bye."

"Bye."

* * *

Castle made his way home, and wondered why Emily would skip school today. She always seemed to like school and has been getting decent grades over the last few years. Why is she all of a sudden flunking and skipping her classes? He wasn't quite sure what the answer was, but he did know that he'd like to get to the bottom of this, and he's certain that Kate would too.

When he got home, he walked into the loft and called out for his niece. He spotted her backpack and beanie by the side table, next to the couch, and figured she might be home. He called out for her again, "Emily, are you here!?"

There was still no response, so he went upstairs and checked her room to see if she was in there. When he got there, there was nothing but an empty room, and he was starting to get worried. He decided that the next best thing would be trying to call her cellphone, so that he could find out where she is. He took out his cellphone and dialed her number, hoping that she'd pick up. It started ringing and he heard a faint sound coming from downstairs. He decided to follow the sound, and went back downstairs to see where it was coming from.

As he reached the living room, the sound of another phone was getting louder. He listened hard and followed the sound to his bedroom, where he could really hear the ringtone of Emily's cellphone. He saw that his bathroom light was on, and cautiously made his way over towards it. By now the phones had stopped ringing, and his was going to Emily's voicemail. He walked into the bathroom, and found a scene that he never expected to find in his own home. He dropped to the floor next to his niece, and pushed her hair away from her face, as he looked at her paling skin.

He placed his two fingers on her neck, trying desperately to find some kind of pulse. It was faint, but he was relieved that he found one, and knew he had to act quickly, or Emily could die. He quickly picked up the phone that he dropped when he went to tend to Emily, and dialed 911 immediately. As the phone rang, he looked around the room and found an empty pill bottle laying closely to Emily's lifeless body. He also found some traces of vomit, around his toilet and sink, figuring out what Emily had done.

"911 what's your emergency?" a woman said as she answered the emergency hotline.

"Hi, I need an ambulance sent over, my niece just overdosed on some prescription pills that I had in my medicine cabinet," Castle said with panic.

"Okay, sir. How old is your niece?'

"She's thirteen… Thirteen."

"May I have your address sir?'

Castle told her his address, and continued to hold Emily's hand throughout the whole phone call. He heard the woman on the other end typing away in her computer before she spoke again, "Is she breathing sir?"

"Barely, her pulse is very faint."

"All right, an ambulance is on it's way to your location. Would you like to stay on the line?"

"Um, no... Thank you for your help."

"You're welcome."

Castle hung up, and placed his phone down next to him. He cradled Emily's face carefully, and said, "Hang in there mini Beckett. We can't lose you, not like this. Please just hang on. Hang on…."

* * *

The paramedics arrived within ten minutes and loaded Emily up on a stretcher faster than Castle could have imagined. Castle was numb the whole way to the hospital and couldn't keep his eyes off the young girl that he's come to love and has practically become a second daughter to him. When they reached the hospital, the medical staff rushed Emily off to the intensive care unit, so they could get the drugs out of her system.

Castle stayed in the waiting area of the ICU, pacing back and forth, hoping that Emily would make it through this. As he continued to worry about mini Beckett, a nurse came up to him with some papers to fill out.

"Sir, are you the parent and/or guardian to the young girl who just came in?" she asked.

"I am her legal guardian, yes," Castle said sadly.

"I need you to fill out these papers, so we can put her into our system."

"All right…" Castle said as he took the clipboard and pen, "Beckett…"

"Beckett?"

"Her Aunt… Kate… I didn't call her, she needs to know…"

The nurse nodded slowly and said, "Do you need me to call her?"

Castle shook his head and said, "No, I can give her a call."

"Okay, well you can give her a call. The paperwork can wait for a bit, fill it out when you are ready, or when her aunt comes in."

"Thank you."

The nurse nodded to Castle before she walked away, leaving him by himself, so he could give Kate a call. He took out his cellphone and dialed her number, hating to be the bearer of bad news, but she needed to know.

* * *

Back at the precinct, Kate was in the middle of getting briefed on the case Esposito and Ryan were currently working on. The three of them were gathered around the investigation board, looking over the information they had so far. Kate's phone started to buzz, and she said, "It's Castle…"

"Think he found Emily?" Ryan asked.

"I hope so."

She stepped away from the two men, and anxiously picked up her phone, hoping to hear the good news of Castle tracking down her niece.

"So, did you find her?" Kate asked.

"Beckett…" She heard Castle say with extreme anguish in his voice.

Kate's stomach dropped, knowing that something wasn't right, "What happened?"

"Emily, she… She tried… She took some pills…"

"What do you mean?"

"Kate, she tried to kill herself. She overdosed on some pain medication we had in our bathroom…"

Kate choked on a sob that she tried to keep in as she desperately tried to keep herself together in front of everyone in her precinct. She swallowed hard before she asked, "Is she okay? Where is she?"

"We're at the hospital, in the ICU… She, she was barely breathing when I got home…" Castle said, choking up as he thought about how he found her.

"Please tell me she's going to make it."

"I don't know, Kate… They haven't informed me on her condition, but it didn't look good… I'm so sorry Kate."

"I'll be there in a few."

"Okay, see you soon."

Kate hung up and gripped her phone tightly in her right hand, placing the other hand over her mouth as she tried to comprehend what her husband just told her. It didn't feel real, and she felt numb inside, knowing that her niece felt so much pain that she wanted to end it all. She couldn't understand why she would do something like this. Emily always seemed so happy and lively, that Kate wouldn't even have thought for a second that she'd try to end her life. What did she miss? There weren't any warning signs that she could see, but honestly, she hasn't seen Em a lot lately. Maybe this was partially her fault for not being there for her. Hunting after Loksat was consuming her life slowly, and she happened to drag Emily down along with it. She tried so hard to keep her and Castle out of it to protect them, but wound up hurting the both of them in the process, which wasn't her intention at all.

A hand was placed on Kate's shoulder, pulling her from her racing thoughts, and Esposito asked, "Is Emily okay?"

"She tried…" Kate took in a shaky breath and said, "She tried to kill herself."

* * *

Esposito and Ryan let Kate go be with her niece, and told her that they'd let her know if they've gotten anywhere with the case. Kate drove frantically to the hospital, not caring one bit if she broke some rules in the process. She knew it probably wasn't wise to drive in this kind of condition, but she had no time to wait for a cab or on someone else to get her there, her niece was in trouble and she wasn't going to waste a second to be by her side.

When she arrived at the hospital, she raced through the front entrance, and got directions to the ICU. She ran down the halls of the 5th floor, and spotted Castle immediately, as he sat with a clipboard in his hands. She made her way over to him as fast as she could and called out to him, "Castle!"

Castle stood from his seat and opened his arms to the woman he loved and cared deeply for. Kate practically fell into his arms as they held each other tightly, neither one willing to speak as they tried to pull themselves together during this tragic time. After a couple of minutes, Kate pulled away only slightly from Castle's embrace, and asked, "Has there been any word on her condition? Is she okay?"

"Not yet. They haven't told me a thing since we got here. I've been trying to fill out this paperwork, but…" Castle trailed off, this whole thing still weighing heavily on his chest.

Kate nodded and said, "I'm going to go talk to the nurse really quick, and then I can… I can help you finish the paperwork."

"All right."

Castle sat back down, and Kate went over to the nurse, who was around her age, and asked, "Is there any updates on my niece, Emily Beckett?"

"The young girl who was admitted for a drug overdose?" the woman asked.

"Yes… That's her."

"There is not much we can tell you at this point. The doctor is still working on her, and he'll let you know more when he's done."

"Can you just check, please?"

"I'm sorry ma'am, I know this is hard for you, but you're going to have to be patient. We have to let the doctor finish up, and he or I, will let you know when we have more information."

Kate bit her lip, trying to figure out what to say next, and decided to go all in, "Listen, I don't know if you have kids, god kids, nieces or nephews, but that little girl in there is the best thing that has ever happened to me. Ever since she came to live with me, I've been worried sick about her, and I don't even think of her as my niece anymore. She's my daughter, and I want to know if she's okay. Do you have a problem with that?"

The woman looked taken aback, but Kate held her ground. With a stutter, the woman replied to Kate's question, "Um… I'll go check on her for you."

"Thank you."

The woman walked off in a hurry, and Kate let out a short sigh, before she returned to Castle, taking a seat next to him. Castle looked over at her with a raised brow, and asked, "What did you say to her?"

"I just told her the truth, which seemed to help her understand that I wasn't messing around," Kate said.

"Hmm… You always seem to have a way with words."

Kate cracked a small smile under the circumstances and said, "When it comes to something or someone that I'm passionate about, I'll tell it like it is."

"I know…" Castle said and sighed before continuing, "She's going to be all right, Kate."

"I hope so… I said that she's like my daughter."

"Really?"

"Yeah, I mean, for these last five and a half years, I've been looking after her. We've become very close, and she's become a daughter to me."

"I understand, I feel the same way. I felt like that since I've met her, actually. We might not have spent these five and a half years together like you two did, but it's been long enough for her to become a second daughter to me."

Kate smiled sadly and said, "I'm glad we adopted her."

"Me too," Castle said with his own sad smile.

"Here, let me finish her paper work, and maybe that nurse will come back with some more information," she said as she took the clipboard from Castle.

"Okay, and I should give my mother and Alexis a call. I haven't had the chance to do that yet, and I bet they're wondering where I am."

"Go ahead Castle."

Castle gave a small nod to his wife before he walked away to call his mother and daughter to let them know about the terrible news.

* * *

A little while later, the nurse came back to inform Kate and Castle on Emily's condition. When she reached them, they stood quickly, anxiously awaiting on what she had to say about Emily.

"The doctor is almost finished with your niece. She's still in critical condition, but she is stable. He expects her to pull through and make a full recovery. Thankfully none of her organs were affected because you found her in time. That's all I can tell you as of now, but the doctor should be out shortly to tell you anything else," the nurse said.

"Thanks, I appreciate the update," Kate said.

"No problem. If you need anything else, don't hesitate to come and get me."

They nodded at the nurse before she walked back to the front desk with some of the other hospital staff. Just as they went to sit back down, they spotted Alexis and Martha coming down the hall where the elevators were. Alexis spotted her dad and called out to him, "Dad!"

She ran up to him and gave him a tight hug, which he returned gratefully. She pulled away and proceeded to hug Kate, while Martha gave her son a hug. After they finished their hugs, Alexis said, "I'm so sorry Kate."

"Thank you… I'm just glad your father found her when he did," Kate said.

"Me too, I'm so glad that she's all right," Martha said with a sad sigh.

"But why would she do this?" Alexis asked.

"Honestly, I don't know. I never thought Emily would do something this drastic even after all she's been through," Castle said.

"Me either, but that's a lot to handle in five years. Maybe I shouldn't have taken her out of her therapy sessions, but we all felt she was getting better," Kate said, running a hand through her hair.

"You know, she has been acting a little different lately. She seemed kind of distant," Alexis said as she remembered her last few encounters with Emily.

"Now that you mention it, Emily has been acting a bit strange lately. She didn't seem herself," Castle said.

"Yeah, and when she came to see us yesterday, she didn't even want to come and help us with the case."

"That is unusual, usually Emily jumps all over an opportunity to go on a case with any of you," Martha said with confusion.

"It is, and she didn't say anything to you guys yesterday?" Kate asked.

"No, she stopped by, let us go and find our lead without her, and was gone by the time we got back from it," Castle said.

"Weird… She stopped by to see me too, but I had to go take care of something for the case we were working on at the precinct."

"Do you think she was trying to tell us something?" Alexis asked.

"I ignored her yesterday… I've ignored her for a while now. This is all my fault."

"This is not your fault. We are just as much to blame for all of this as well because we haven't been paying much attention to Emily either," Castle said.

"I'm the one who left though. I've been so busy with… work… and I haven't even been around for her."

Alexis placed a hand on Kate's shoulder and said, "Don't blame yourself Kate, this isn't your fault. I'm sure there is more involved with this then we know."

"Yes, and I'm willing to bet that Mike kid knows something," Martha said.

"Me too mother… Kate do you have his number?" Castle asked.

"I think I do, I'll give him a call," Kate said.

Kate stepped away from the three and searched through her phone hastily until she found Mike's number. When she found it, she dialed it and waited for him to pick up.

"Umm…hello," Mike said awkwardly.

"Mike, this is Kate Beckett, Emily's aunt," she said to the young teen.

"Look, I didn't do anything, I swear."

"I wasn't accusing you of anything Mike, but now you sound suspicious. What happened?"

"Look, I didn't mean to put anything hurtful in her locker. Stacey, Stacey made me, and I didn't want her to break up with me…" Kate cut him off and said, "Stacey? Who's Stacey? I thought you were with Emily?"

"She didn't tell you? We broke up about two and a half months ago."

"You guys broke up?"

"Yes… Stacey started to take an interest in me, and I got to hang out with the popular kids, so… I broke up with Emily."

"What else happened between the three of you?"

"I didn't think it would get so out of hand… Stacey started to bully her and called her names. Then she kind of turned the whole school against Emily, and said some nasty things on Facebook. Earlier today, we put notes in Emily's locker with some cruel words on them, and they said some pretty messed up things. Emily looked so hurt, I honestly didn't mean for it to go down like that. I felt so bad as Emily ran out of the school, but I didn't do anything to stop Stacey."

"I'm very disappointed in you Mike. I thought you were her friend."

"I know, and I'm sorry. Is she okay?"

"She's in the hospital."

"WHAT!? Why?"

"She tried to kill herself Mike."

She heard Mike trying to hold back tears as he said, "I… I didn't think… I didn't mean for her to… to do this. This is all my fault."

"No Mike, it's not your fault. It's everyone in that school's fault, including that girl, Stacey. I hope you've learned that bullying is not something you do to someone. It can cause some serious issues, and could lead to something like this. She could have died today."

"I'm so sorry. I really didn't mean for this to happen. Will you tell her that I'm sorry?"

"Sure… Thanks for telling me what happened, Mike."

"Ms. Beckett?"

"Yes."

"Am I going to be in some serious trouble?"

"I don't know. We could tell your principal, and get you and others who participated in this expelled, but it's up to Emily."

"I understand… goodbye."

"Goodbye, Mike."

Kate hung up the phone, and tried to hold in her emotions. She did not expect to hear that Emily has been getting bullied at school, and now she knew why Emily hasn't been acting like herself lately. The worst part is, she tried to tell her multiple times, but she kept putting off having a sit down with her niece. Emily was a teenager now, not a little girl anymore, and she was going through something that would be hard on anyone. Kate felt terrible for not seeing the signs, and not having a conversation with her, making her have to go through this alone.

Kate walked over to Martha, Castle, and Alexis, and Castle asked, "Did Mike know anything?"

Kate nodded her head and said, "Yeah, he did…"

"What is it Kate?"

"Emily was being bullied in school, practically shunned by all of her peers."

"I can't believe she was being bullied," Alexis said with shock.

"Me either, but apparently it's been going on for two and a half months, after Mike broke up with her."

"Oh, poor Emily." Martha said.

"I can't believe Mike did that to her. How could he do that to his best friend?" Castle questioned with a hint of anger.

"Apparently, he became the boyfriend to this popular girl named Stacey, and she was the real culprit in all of this."

"I wish I would have talked to Emily."

"We all do dad. We ignored her, and probably made things even worse," Alexis said.

"Yeah, and apparently, they posted something terrible on Facebook yesterday, and then today they put some nasty notes in her locker," Kate told them.

"Now wonder she was home and skipped school."

"Yes, and I feel horrible."

Castle pulled his wife into a hug and said, "I know you do. We all do. But she'll be okay, and we'll fix this."

"I hope so."

"Oh my god…" Alexis said as she looked at her phone.

"What is it Alexis?" Martha asked her granddaughter.

"I found the Facebook post Kate mentioned, and it's… It's horrible."

Martha looked at the post and said, "Oh my… I knew kids were cruel, but that has to take the cake."

Alexis handed the phone over to her dad, and he looked at the post with Kate. They were silent for a few seconds as they read through the post and some of the comments. After reading through several, Castle spoke up and said, "250 comments on this one post, and not one has something nice to say about Emily."

"I knew I should have monitored her social media more, but I've been so busy, and… I never thought Emily would be bullied like this," Kate said through tears.

"Oh, Katherine. Don't be so hard on yourself, it's very difficult to know everything that's happening in your child's life, especially in this day and age," Martha said trying to comfort her daughter-in-law.

"I know, but if I would have picked up on something, maybe I could have helped her before… before it came to this."

"Darling, don't worry. Like Richard said, she'll be fine, and you can start over with her, and help her in the future."

Kate nodded and said, "Yeah, I guess you're right. I just hope she doesn't hate me."

"I'm sure she doesn't. Emily loves you dearly, Kate. I think she's going to need you more than ever now."

"I think she will need me, I just hope I can give that to her."

"Well, you have us Kate. And if you ever need any help, we're here," Alexis said with a small smile.

"Alexis is right, you do have us, and we love Emily just as much as you do, and we don't want to see her hurt like this again," Castle said reassuringly.

"Thank you, guys. I appreciate it. I couldn't do this without you," Kate said with a smile.

"Excuse me, are you Emily Beckett's legal guardians?" the doctor asked when he walked up to the four of them.

"Yes, I'm her aunt. This is my husband and his family," Kate said to the doctor.

"We were able to get Emily in stable condition. So, the first thing I did was administered a few doses of activated charcoal which we gave her through nasogastric tube. Once that pumped through her gastrointestinal tract, we monitored her closely to make sure it absorbed the drug that she ingested. I also gave her a small dose of Intravenous sodium bicarbonate, also known as sodium hydrogen carbonate, just in case her kidneys are not removing enough acid from the body, or if she suffers any cardiovascular complications," the doctor said to them.

"Thank you so much."

"It's no problem at all. It's my job and I love being able to save people, especially when they are young like this."

"When can we see her?" Castle asked the doctor.

"Not just Yet. She's still knocked out as of now, and we'll be monitoring for at least 12 hours, to make sure she is all clear, with no further complications from the overdose. I'll let you guys know when you'll be able to see her, and I'm sure it won't be long. You can hang out around here, or go home, it's up to you."

"I'm not going anywhere, not until Emily is in the clear."

"I figured you guys would. If you guys are hungry or anything our cafeteria is on the 2nd floor, you might be here for a while."

"Thank you, again," Kate said.

"Not at all. If you need anything just ask one of the nurses on staff, and they'll be sure to help you out," his beeper beeped, and he looked at it with a sigh, "I have to go. I'll check up on Emily in a few hours to make sure she's doing okay."

"Okay."

The doctor walked away, and Castle let out a sigh of relief, "I'm glad Emily is doing all right."

"Yeah, hopefully we get to see her soon," Kate said.

"Yeah, but until then, I guess we just wait."

"Yep."


End file.
